Bulletin de liaison et d`information

Transcription

INSTITUT
URD
DE PARIS
Bulletin de liaison et d'information
I
•
I
~187
I
OCTOBRE 2000
:
Ce bulletin paraît en français et anglais
Prix au numéro: France: 30 FF - Etranger: 35 FF
Abonnement annuel (12 numéros) France: 300 FF - Etranger: 350 FF
Périodique mensuel
Directeur de la publication: Mohamad HASSAN
Numéro de la Commission Paritaire: 65915 A.S.
ISBN 0761 1285
INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS
Tél. : 01-48 24 64 64
Fax: 01-482464 66
www.fikp.org
E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org
Sommaire
• EN VISITE OFFICIELLE EN TURQUIE, VACLAV HAVEL PLAIDE EN FAVEUR
unES DROITS DE LA MINORITÉ KURDE"
• VISITE DE MASSOUD BARZANI
A ANKARA ET A LONDRES
• LE PRÉSIDENT TURC DONNE UNE LEÇON DE DÉMOCRATIE ET DE
DROIT A SON GOUVERNEMENT
• UN DÉPUTÉ D'EXTR~ME DROITE ÉLU PRÉSIDENT DU PARLEMENT TURC
• STRASBOURG: LA COUR EUROPÉENNE CONDAMNE UNE NOUVELLE
FOIS LA TURQUIE MAIS LA POLICE TURQUE CONTINUE DE TORTURER
DES KURDES EN COMPAGNIE DES MARCHES MILITAIRE
• AINSI QUE ....
EN VISITE OFFICIELLE EN TURQUIE, VACLAV HAVEL PLAIDE
EN FAVEUR "DES DROITS DE LA MINORITÉ KURDE
II
E président tchèque Vaclav
Havel a effectué, du 10 au 12
octobre, une visite officielle
très remarquée en Turquie.
Au cours de cette première
visite d'un chef d'Etat tchèque dans la
République turque, V. Havel a rencontré
à Ankara les principaux dirigeant tures,
dont le président Sezer, signé trois
accords de coopération et de commeree
puis s'est rendu à Izmir et à Istanbul.
Dans cette dernière ville, qui reste la
capitale culturelle et industrielle du
pays, le président tchèque devait en
principe rencontrer les hommes
d'affaires turcs pour les encourager à
s'intéresser davantage à la République
tchèque.
Cependant, il a décidé d'inviter à
déjeuner à sa résidence stambouliote du
Palais Çiragan une douzaine de
défenseurs de droits de l'homme, dont
Akin Birdal et plusieurs personnalités
kurdes. Selon le compte-rendu de
l'agence tchèque CTK, le président
Havel, après avoir interrogé ses convives
sur le sort des Kurdes en Turquie, a
exprimé son soutien à leur appel pour le
respect et la reconnaissance de leur
droits en tant que peuple distinct, y
compris le droit d'utiliser leur langue
dans tous les domaines de la vie.
Lors de ses entretiens avec le président
et le Premier ministre turcs, le président
tchèque a également plaidé en faveur
" des droits de la minorité kurde" et de
la libération des prisonniers d'opinion
dont
l'écrivain-avocat
Esber
Yagmurdereli.
Interrogé par la presse, dont le
quotidien Milliyet du 13 octobre, sur
l'usage du mot" minorité kurde ", le
président tchèque a déclaré: " D'une
manière générale je suis pour l'octroi aux
minorités de certains droits. Je n'ai pas
".:2 ;
I1l/lld/1/
Je !lni501/
d t!'lI/!r1lïllnl/OIl
voulu que l'on intiriIise auiTclièques et aux
Slovaques le droit d'utiliser leur langue dans
la Fédération tchécoslovaque. Je ne pense pas
que la différence de langue entre les deux
secteurs de Chypre soit un problème. C'est
pourquoi je demande qu'on autorise les
Kurdes à utiliser leur langue dans toute la
Turquie".
Vaclav Havel est connu pour son intérêt
pour le peuple kurde depuis l'époque de
la Charte 77. Arrivé au pouvoir à la suite
de la révolution de velours il n'a pas,
comme tant d'autres politiciens, mis ses
convictions dans sa poche afin "de ne
pas froisser la sensibt1ité" de tel ou tel Etat
ou de ne pas compromettre des intérêts
commerciaux. Il a, à plusieurs reprises,
défendu le droit du peuple kurde à la
survie, â la sauvegarde de son identité et
à la maîtrise de son destin. En cela, il
s'inscrit dans la lignée de Nelson
Mandela qui avait refusé " le prix
Atatürk des droits de l'homme" que le
gouvernement turc voulait lui décerner
et avait demandé à Ankara de cesser de
persécuter le peuple kurde avant de
parler des droits !ie l'homme.
La prise de position du président
tchèque a, comme on pouvait s'y
attendre, déclenché une campagne
hostile bien orchestrée dans les media
turcs. Ceux-ci avaient à l'époque
abreuvé Mandela d'injures odieuses
(" Sale nègre "," nègre ingrat", etc..). Le
, présiden't Havel s'en tire finalement
avec un blâme sévère infligé par le
président du syndicat des journalistes
turcs, Oktay Eksi, dans un éditorial à la
Une du quotidien Hürriyet du 14 octobre
au titre éloquent: " Havel a tout gâché".
Suit une longue diatribe sur le thème de
l'ignorance de l'histoire turque, du traité
de Lausanne qui ne reconnaît le statut
de minorité qu'aux non musulmans, etc.
et la conclusion: " Alors qu'avec sa jeune
et jolie épouse le président tchèque auréolé de
n° '187 • octobre 2000
son
passtânésÎsfifiit
éfifti:CoIlll1füniste-
turc; "il-a'ioui-gâc1ié-ens'afUiqw:l1lt-à coup
et de " son image d'image d'homme de
culture" avait tout pour séduire le public
de hache au sujet le plus sensible de la
Turquie ".
II-
VISITE DE MASSOUD BARZANI À ANKARA ET À LONDRES
PRES la visi te de J alaI
Talabani, chef de l'Union
patriotique du Kurdistan
(UPK), Massoud Barzani,
leader
du
' Parti
Démocratique du Kurdistan (PDK), est
arrivé en Turquie le 3 octobre pour
s'entretenir avec le Premier ministre turc
Bülent
Ecevit'
des
derniers
développements dans sa région. Il s'est
entretenu également avec le chef des
services secrets turcs (MIT), Senkai
Atasagun et le sous-secrétaire d'Etat aux
Affmes étrangères Faruk Logoglu.
M. Barzani a indiqué que la Turquie
avait payé des compensations à des
familles kurdes irakiennes, victimes d'un
raid de l'aviation turque mené en août
dans la région. La Turquie avait reconnu
le 18 août y avoir mené trois jours
auparavant des raids, ajoutant qu'elle
étudiait les allégations selon'lesquelles
cette attaque avait tué plus d'une
quarantaine de civils.
Le leader kurde irakien,après une escalede
renforcement de la confiance.Londres a, à
cette occasion, réitéré son engagement à
défendre l'autonomie kurde de fait et à
assurer à la région kurde le reversementde
13%des revenus générés par la résolution
pétrole-contre-nourrituredes Nations-Unies.
~. Hain, s'est félicité que grâce à une
meilleureadministrationet aux revenus du
pétrole la région kurde a pu panser ses
plaies, assurer une certaine prospérité dans
un climatdémocratique.Cest là un exemple
pour tout l'Irak a-t-il assuré. Le ministre
britannique a indiqué qu'il recevrait M.
Ta:labanià une date ultérieuredans le cadre
de reffort de réconciliationet de paix entre
les deux principales factions kurdes
irakiennes.
M. Barzani a également été reçu au British
Department of International Development
où le sous-secrétaired'Etat GeorgeFoUlken
l'a assuré que" le gouœrnement britannique
continuera ses projets humanitaires et de
développement dans la région du Kurdistan". fi
a appelé à élaborationdes projetsagricoles
et de lutte contre la sécheresse(~oiiplus loin
notre revilede presse).
r
quelques jours à Vienne, s'est rendu à
Londres à l'invitation du M. Peter Hain, Par ailleurs, l'UPK, longtemps accusée
ministre hritannique des Affaires étrangères. , par Ankara de soutenir le PKK, a fait
Celui-ciavait égalementinvité Jalal Ta:labani état ces derniers temps de violents
, dans respoir d'organiser un sommet kurde accrochages entre ses peshmergas et des
irakien afin d'avancer dans application de maquisards du PKK, plus d'une
l'accord inter-Kurdes'de Washington du 17 vingtaine de peshmergas auraient été
tués en deux semaines de combats. Le
septembre 1988. Cependant M. Talabani
nombre de victimes du côté du PKK
n'est pas venu.
serait de 13. Le' PKK annonce avoir
Selon un porte parole britannique la déclaré un cessez-le-feu depuis déjà
rencontre Barzani-Hain du 24 octobre a plusieurs jours et l'UPK nie toute
notamment porté sur des mesures de offensive contre le PKK dans la région.
r
Le PKK accuse son ancien allié de
collaborer avec Ankara et trouve suspect
le fait que les combats aient débuté à la
suite de la visite en Turquie de Jalal
Talabani en juillet dernier. La chaîne de
télévision, Medya TV, proche du PKK, a
montré un poids lourd, impliqué dans un
accident de la route, transportant des
armes et des munitions de la Turquie vers
le Kurdistan irakien. L'UPI<, quant à elle,
joue sa propre existence puisqu'elle
accuse le PKK, jusqu'alors toléré dans sa
région, de vouloir semparer des villages
pour sa propre cause.
Une délégation " des mères kurdes pour bJ
paix n, toutes mères des combattants du
PKK tombés dans ces combats, est allée
rendre visite aux deux partis pour les
convaincre d'arrêter" bJ lutte fratricide n
LE PRÉSIDENT TURC DONNE UNE LEÇON
DE DÉMOCRATIE ET DE DROIT À SON GOUVERNEMENT
E président
turc, Ahmet
1er
Necdet Sezer a, le octobre,
de nouveau demandé des
réformes
législatives
et
constitutionnelles au cours de
la cérémonie d'ouverture de la nouvelle
session parlementaire.
Les hauts
commandants de l'armée turque, dont
Hüseyin Kivrikoglu, chef d'état-major,
ont assisté au grand complet à la
cérémonie. Le quotidien turc Sabah du 2
octobre parle d'une" douche froide pour le
gouvernement
", en précisant que le
président avait donné des leçons de
droit
au
gouvernement.
Les
observateurs n'ont pas manqué de noter
la tension entre le gouvernement et le
chef d'Etat; aucun des membres du
gouvernement n'a applaudi à l'entrée du
président au Parlement et ni au cours de
son discours. Voici un extrait de ce
discours:
" Le concept d'Etat de droit est une
particularité déterminante de bJ démocratie
contemporaine. La démocratie et l'Etat de
droit sont des notions de base qui ne peuvent
se concevoir l'une sans l'autre (... ) Le fait de
croire que les règles sont établies pour les
gouvernés et que les gOllvernants disposent
d'une liberté de s'y Soumettre ou plIS est bJ
source de nombreux problèmes. Au bout du
compte, la vie démocratique devient une
sorte de compétition dont le prix est bJ liberté
de ne pas se soumettre aux règles. C'est
pourquoi ü est important que bJ direction en
premier lieu respecte les règles mais aussi
surveille leur application. L'Etat de droit ou
encore l'Etat attaché au droit, suppose
l'attachement au droit des gouvernants
comme des gouvernés. La première des
conditions pour permettre bJ soumission au
droit de bJ hautt autorité étatique est que le
contrôle juridique implique tous les organes
de l'Etat"
À propos des décrets-lois, objet d'une
sérieuse tension entre le gouvernement
et le président ces derniers temps, M.
Sezer a déclaré ceci : " Le pouvoir législatif
appartient au Parlement. Le droit d'établir
des décrets-lois octroyés au conseil des
ministres, est un pouvoir propre limité quant
à son but et son objet (.oo) D'autre part les
décrets-lois sont autorisés à condition qu' ü y
ait une situation d'urgence et de nécessité
(oo.) Dans le cas contraire (.oo) il Y aurait un
déséquilibre en tre le pouvoir législatif et
l'exécutif, l'organe exécutif se pbJçant audessus du législatif, les décrets-lois, pourtant
exceptionnels,
devenant
pouvoir fondamental n.
de ce fait un
En ce qui concerne la peine de mort :
" Le sujet nécessite
une révision
constitutionnelle. Certains crimes punis par
bJ peine de mort dans le code pénal turc,
peuvent l'être par une peine plus lourde
d'emprisonnement à perpétuité (oo.) "
" Il est temps d'entreprendre
des
ame1iorations répondant aux besoins de bJ
nation turque dans notre Constitution et
d'intégrer les normes universelles dans notre
système de droit (... ) Ces changements
devront être établis non pas pour satisfaire
l'Union européenne, mais bien parce que
notre peuple le mérite ( ... ) Certains
problèmes de l'Etat de droit, faisant obstacle
à bJ suprématie du droit, rebJtif au contrôle
constitutionnel,
n'ont toujours pas été
surmontés à ce jour. Le provisoire article 15
de la Constitution en son dernier alinéa
constitue le point principal de ces problèmes.
Les lois et les règlements e1aborés entre le 12
septembre 1980 [ndIr: date du coup
d'Etat militaire) et le 7 décembre 1983 ne
peuvent toujOUTS plIS faire objet de contrôle
constitutionnel. Pour rejoindre les nations
contemporaines, démocratiques, il faudrait
réviser la Constitution
et élaborer une
Constitution
libérale,
pluraliste,
participative,
confiante, garantissant
l'équüibre entre les missions et les fondions
des différents organes étatiques et ne wssant
plIS vide de sens le principe du droit ".
" Les relations
et les coopérations
internationales ne veulent pas dire la fin de
l'indépendance
et l'abandon
de la
souveraineté nationale. Le point essentiel
pour l'indépendance
et la souveraineté
nationale est de maintenir l'équilibre,
lorsque des affaires étrangères sont en COUTS,
pour sauvegarder le pouvoir décisionnel de
l'Etat ".
• 4- • BI/IIt'til/ de 1it715011
('/
d'III«1fIllnllol/
nO 18ï • octobre 200n
-UN Dlpurt D'EXTRÊMÈ DROITE ÉLU
PRÉSIDENT DU PARLEMENT TURC
A Grande
assemblée
nationale turque (TBMM),.
chambre monocamérale du
Parlement turc, a, au cours de
sa session du 18 octobre, élu
le député d'extrême droite Ömer Izgi du
parti de l'Action nationaliste (MHP), à
~a présidence. Sur les 550 députés, 533
ont pris part au vote. Ö. Izgi a obtenu
264 voix contre 262 à. son rival
Basesgioglu, du parti de la Mère-patrie
(ANAP) de M. YiIritaz.
Les députés du parti de la Gauche
démocratique
(DSP). du Premier
ministre et ceux du parti de la Juste voie
(DYP)de Mme Çiller ont, conformément
aux consignes de leur direction, dans
leur très grande majorité voté en faveur
du càndidat d'extrême droite. Ceux
d'ANAP et les islamistes pour son rival.
Ömer Izgi devient ainsi le deuxième
personnage de l'Etat turc après le
président de la République. Dès son
élection, il. a assumé l'intérim du
président Sezer en voyage à l'étranger.
La MHP est un parti néo-faciste fondé
par le colonel Türkes, condamné pour
ses activités pro-nazies avant de devenir
l'un des auteurs du coup d'Etat militaire
de 1960. Prônant un empire turc allant
de l' Adriatique ~ la muraille de Chine,
militant pour la purification de la
Turquie de ses populations non turques,
ce parti est connu pour ses actions
virulentes et meurtrières contre les
Kurdes et les mouvements turcs de
gauche. Ses milices armées, les" Loups
gris ", ont été impliqués dans
l'assassinat de milliers de démocrates
turcs et kurdes en Turquie, dans des
conflits du Caucase, dans la tentative
d'assassinat du Pape ainsi que dans une
série d'activités mafieuses. Sous le
gouvernement de Mme Çiller, une
grande partie de ces milices ont été
enrôlées dans les sinistres " unités
spéciales'" chargées de casser du Kurde
et de basses besognes de la police turque
au Kurdistan.
Accédant au pouvoir sous l'aile
protectrice du nationaliste de " gauche"
BUieriCEcevit;c-e l'atti-;- qui dans
n'importe quelle démocratie digne de ce
nom aurait été dissous pour ses activités
criminelles et son apologie du racisme et
de la violence, s'empare ainsi
progressivement de rouages essentiels
de l'Etat turc par une stratégie que son
président D. Bahçeli qualifie lui même
d'une" main de fer dans un gant de
velours".
Combien de temps, l'Union européenne
et son Parlement vont-ils garder le
silence sur cette situation intolérable
dans un pays candidat?
STRASBOURG:
LA COUR EUROPÉENNE CONDAMNE UNE NOUVELLE FOIS LA
TURQUIE MAIS LA POLICE TURQUE CONTINUE DE TORTURER
DES KURDES EN COMPAGNIE DES MARCHES MILITAIRE
A Cour européenne des droits
de l'homme, a, le 10 octobre,
une nouvelle fois condamné
la Turquie pour "violation du
droit à là vie" d'un
enseignant kurde, Zubeyir Akkoç, tué en
1993 et pour "torture" à l'encontre de
son épouse, Nebahat, qui a osé porter
l'affaire
devant
juridiction
de
Stràsbourg.
Syndicaliste enseignant, Zubeyir Akkoç
avait été abattu le 13 janvier 1993par un
escadron de la mort des forces spéciales
turques qui, de 1992 à 1999, ont ainsi
assassiné impunément plus de quatre
mille intellectuels kurdes non impliqués
dans des actions violentes dans le but de
décapiter et de terroriser la population
kurde. S'agissant d'une politique
décidée par le sommet d'Etat turc les
procureurs refusaient l'ouverture
d'information judiciaire impliquant des
membres" des forces de l'ordre", Devant
un tel refus, Mme Akkoç avait, dès le 1er
novembre 1993,déposé plainte devant la
Cour européenne. Furieuse, la police
turque l'a arrêtée en février 1994 et l'a
placée en garde-à-vue. Celle-ci a duré
dix jours pendant lesquels Mme Akkoç a
été sauvagement torturée. Mise à nu,
rouée de coups, soumise à des chocs
électriques, plongée dans de l'eau glacée
puis dans de l'eau bouillante, Mme
Akkoç a également été exposée à des
lumières aveuglantes
et à des
" musiques " assourdissantes. Ses
tortionnaires exigeaient qu'elle retire sa
plainte contre le gouvernement turc,
".
Femme de courage et de conviction, elle
récidiva en déposant une nouvelle
plainte contre la Turquie pour" tortures
par agents de laforce publique".
Dans son verdict, intervenant sept ans
1
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après les faits, la Cour européenne a
reconnu les actes de torture et jugé que
les autorités turques riavaient pas mené
d'enquête efficace sur les circonstances
du meurtre de M. Akkoç. Sans pouvoir
établir avec des preuves formelles que
des agents de l'Etat aient été impliqués
dans ce meurtre, la Cour relève "la
tendJlnee des autorités turques à imputer la
responsabilité de la violence politique au
PKK ". Elle note également que dans des
affaires similaires survenues à la même
époque dans cette région kurde le
procureur turc omettait" d'instruire les
plaintes de personnes affirmant l'implication
des furees de l'ordre dans des actes ùlégaux et
avait attribué la responsabilité des incidents
au PKK sur la base de preuves minimes" .
La Cour européenne a alloué à la
requérante la somme de 35.000 livres
sterling (59.049 euros) pour dommage
matériel de 40.000 livres (67.485 euros)
pour préjudice moral ainsi que 13.648,80
livres (23.027euros) au titre des frais et
dépens.
Le même jour, dans une seconde affaire
Ankara a également été condamné pour
torture.
Au terme des enquêtes menées dans la
ville kurde de Batman et dans les villes
voisines de 1998 à 2000, la Commission
des droits de l'homme du Parlement turc
vient de rendre public un rapport
fourmillant
de
témoignages
insoutenables de victimes de tortures.
Selon ce rapport, les personnes placées
en garde-à-vue à Batman et dans les
villes voisines ont subi d'une manière
routinière les mêmes tortures. La routine
consistait à " leur faire visiter les sites
historiques et touristiques du pays"
I;
avec des musiques et des tortures
adaptées à chaque étape de ce singulier
tourisme. Les tortionnaires semblent
avoir une prédilection particulière pour
une marche des Janissaires ottomans
partant en guerre contre les infidèles
européens, Mehter Marsi, puisque toutes
les victimes kurdes ont déclaré à la
Commission avoir été torturées en
compagne de cette musique jouée à fond
où les tortionnaires se donnaient du
cœur à l'ouvrage à chaque occurrence
des strophes célèbres" marche en avant, le
soldat turc, ne recule jamais ".
Présidée par Mme Piskinsut, députée du
DSP de M. Ecevit, peu suspecte de
sympathie pro-kurde, la Commission a
consigné une série de témoignages d'où
il ressort que la police est assurée de
l'impunité et que la justice, au courant
de la torture, a condamné les prévenus
sur la base de dépositions arrachées sous
la torture.
Rendant compte du rapport, le quotidien
Milliyet, dans son édition du 14 octobre,
cite le témoignage d'une victime
comparaissant devant le tribunal à
Batman. Alors qu'il rejette toutes les
accusations portées contre lui, le juge lui
dit : " mais vous les avez bien reconnues
dans votre déposition à la police", " J'ai dû
signer ce texte sous la torture " affirme le
prévenu. Et le juge de l'admonester :
" vous ne pouviez donc pas résister deux
jours de plus à la torture ? ".
D'autres victimes parlent des méthodes
de tortures dénommées" voyages vers
l'espace, vallée de la mort", etc. Que parmi
ces milliers de victimes de la torture
quelques unes s'adressent à la Cour
européenne et obtiennent après 7 ou 8
r
1/,
l!
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années de démarches une condamnation
symbolique de la Turquie ne semble
nullement déranger les policiers dans
leur pratique quotidienne de la torture
des Kurdes.
Les prises de position de Mme Piskinsut
a déplu aux autorités. Elle a été écarté
dans ménagement de ses fonctions. Elle
y sera remplacée par un député
d'extrême droil
Voici la réaction de l'éditorialiste Faüh
Altayli le 26 octobre dans le quotidien
Hürriyet : " Ils ont encore trouvé le
président de la commission en mettant une
annonce dans la presse. Les qualités requises
sont cela; Il doit être sourd pour ne pas
entendre les victimes de la torture. n doit
avoir du savoir-vivre pour prévenir à
l'avance les commissariats qui seront visités.
n doit être stupide pour croire que malgré
l'annonce de sa visite un policier surpris de
pratiquer le falaka ne fait en fait que carder le
coton. Il doit résister aux chocs e1ectriques
pour ne pas être électrocuté lorsqu'ù serrera
la main des victimes. n doit être retraité de la
police, pour soumettre d'abord les rapports
non pas au Parlement ou à la presse mais à
son" chef" Tantan [ndIr: ministre de
l'Intérieur]. De cette façon, la Turquie sera
débarrassée de la honte de torture. Nous
franchirons une étape de plus pour nous
conformer à /'UE. Sema (Mme Piskinsüt) va
partir et les accusations de tortures vont
s'arrêter. Pour ce qui concerne les incidents
provoqués par le mauvais œil après les
interrogatoires
ou les placements en
détention,
une nouvelle commission
parlementaire pour la protection contre le
mauvais œil sera créée. Ils mettront
probablement lin député étiqueté Fazilet
(islamiste) à sa tête ".
• 6.
Hlilldill
de IInt51111 ci
n° 18ï • octobre 2000
d'IIIIIl/"lIlnl/(lll..
AINSI QUE ....
• TROIS VILLAGEOIS KURDES
TUÉS PAR LES SOLDATS TURCS À
HAKKARI: LES CORPS RESTENT
INTROUVABLES, LE SEUL RESCAPÉ
EST ARRÊTÉ. Trois villageois kurdes,
autorisés par la gendarmerie de Hakkari
à aller cueillir des noix de leurs villages
vidés par la force il y a déjà quelques
années, ont, le 22 octobre, été tués par les
soldats turcs venus de la province
voisine de Sirnak. [ndir: Selon les
statistiques officielles, plus de 3400
villages kurdes ont été évacués par les
militaires turcs]. Une des victimes
blessées, seul rescapé de l'opération, est
arrêtée et les corps des trois autres ne
sont toujours pas rendus à leurs familles.
Aussi, Madt Piruzbeyoglu, député de la
Mère patrie (ANAP) de Hakkari, est-il
intervenu auprès du ministère de
l'intérieur afin que les victimes aient au
moins une sépulture décente. Mais, les
corps restent introuvables jusqu'à
présent et les familles accusent les
soldats de les avoir dissimulés.
Mehmet Kurt, Cevher Orhan, Salih
Orhan et Kemal Tekin, domiciliés au
village de Marunis (Yoncali en turc),
dans la province de Hakkari, avaient été
déplacés en 1993 à Xacort dans la
province de Van par les militaires turcs.
. Après avoir obtenu l'autorisation de ~
gendarmerie centrale de Hakkari, les
quatre villageois étaient venus le 19
octobre dans leur village pour la récolte
annuelle des noix. Des soldats en poste
dans la région ont alors ouvert le feu en
pleine journée sur les villageois. Bilan de
l'opération, M. Kurt, C. Orhan, S. Orhan,
sont morts sur le coup alors que K.
Tekin, blessé et réfugié auprès des
protecteurs de villages de la tribu de
Beytushebat Pirusi, a été remis aux
escadrons de Sirnak. M. Piruzbeyoglu a
dénoncé le fait que Kemal Tekin ait été
contraint par les soldats de Sirnak
d'affirmer que le massacre avait été
perpétré par le parti des travailleurs du
Kurdistan (PKK).
Les organisations de défense des droits
de l'homme ont vivement critiqué la
tuerie et Sabahattin Savagc~ responsable
du parti de la démocratie du peuple à
Hakkari (HADEP) a déclaré ceci : NailS
. pensons que des initiatives comme le pont
artistique Istanbul-Hakkari [ndlr : initiative
culturelle des artistes kurdes originaires
d'Hakkari et d'ailleurs ayant pour but de
faire connaître la région et de la rendre
plus dynamique et pacifique], contribue à
la réalisation de la démocratie et de la paix,
Tout juste après cette initiative marquée par
la paix, un tel massacre démontre qu'il y a
encore des forces puissantes contre la paix en
activité en Turqllie. Ce genre de démarche
provocatrice ne réussira pas à e'branler notre
foi en la paix. Nous n'avons par ailleurs
aucune nouvelle de la victime sortie blessée
de l'opération, Pourquoi est-ce qu'il reste
tout ce temps placé en garde-à-vue alors que
le de1ai légal est depuis longtemps dépassé ?
Je ne crois pas qll'il puisse sortir aisément et
tout àfait indemne de là-bas
Il
Il.
• 101 REPRÉSENTANTS AMÉRICAINS
DEMANDENT
LA
LIBÉRA nON
DES
DÉPUTÉS
KURDES ET LA LEVÉE DES
INTERDICTIONS SUR LA LANGUE
ET LA CULTURE KURDES. 101
membres du Congrès américain ont, le
20 octobre, soutenu la résolution 461 de
la Chambre des représentants appelant à
la
libération
immédiate
et
inconditionnelle de Leyla Zana, Orhan
Dagan, Hatip Dicle et de Selim Sadak,
quàtre députés kurdes du Parlement
turc emprisonnés et ont également
demandé la levée des interdictions sur la
langue efla culture kurdes.
En 1999, 153 membres du Congrès
américain avaient signé une lettre
adressée au président Clinton, lui
demandant d'œuvrer pour la libération
des députés kurdes. Les autorités
.turques n'avaient pas cédé à la
demande, mais avaient offert à Leyla
Zana la possibilité de la libérer si elle
faisait une demande pour raison de
santé. L. Zana avait refusé de se prêter à
ce gerne de manœuvre et avait préféré
rester solidaire de ses collègues. Les
quatre députés kurdes se trouvent
depuis mars 1994 incarcérés à la prison
mucanlar d'Ankara.
• 345 KURDES IRAKIENS CHERCHENT REFUGE EN ITALIE, 6
AUTRES TROUVÉS MORTS SUR
UNE ROUTE. Le 11 octobre, 462
clandestins dont, 345 Kurdes irakiens,
abandonnés en pleine mer sur un cargo
turc, ont pu débarquer dans le port
italien d'Otrante. L'équipage de ce vieux
cargo turc Oiler avait laissé ses
passagers à leur sort à vingt mille des
côtes italiennes. Repéré par des gardescôtes italiens le navire a été conduit à
Otrante par un équipage italien. Ses
passagers épuisés de fatigue ont été
conduits dans un centre d'accueil pour
être identifié et soignés.
. Le ministre italien de l'Intérieur, Enzo
Bianco, a affirmé que les malheureux
passagers, dont près de la moitié des
femmes et des enfants, " allaient vers une
/Ilort certaine". Selon lui, les passeurs
appartiennent à " line organisation
criminelle des plus dangereuses et sont
d'une violence inouie".
Ils avaient embarqué à Izmir, en
Turquie, et payé 2500 dollars par adulte
et la moitié par enfant pour le voyage.
L'embarquement à Izmir sest déroulé au
vu et au su des autorités portuaires et
policières turques, et sans doute avec
leur complicité. Avoir le moins de
Kurdes possible dans la région est l'une
des lignes de force de la politique
turque. En plus ce trafic sur une vaste
échelle rapporte beaucoup d'argent aux
divers services turcs. C'est pourquoi le
souhait formulé par M. Bianco d'une
" meilleure coopération avec la police
turque" pour endiguer cet afflux de
réfugiés risque de rester un vœu pieux
tout comme les autorités turques n'ont
jusqu'ici pas fait preuve d'empressent
pour
la coopération
policière
européenne contre le trafic de drogue,
car ce trafic rapporte bon an mal an de
35 à 40 milliards de dollars à l'économie
" grise" turque.
Par ailleurs, le 18 octobre, la police
italienne a trouvé sur une route près de
la frontière albanaise les corps de six
Kurdes irakiens asphyxiés qui, selon
toute vraisemblance, venaient de Grèce à
bord d'un poids lourd. Après le passage
de la frontière le chauffeur a jeté sur le
bord de la route les cadavres de ses
passagers clandestins.
• LA COUR DE SÛRETÉ DE L'ETAT
DE DIYARBAKIR ACCUSE UNE
MAIRE
HADEP
D' AVOIR
PRONONCÉ LE MOT" KURDISTAN "
DANS UNE INTERVIEW. Le procès de
Mme Cihan Sincar, maire HADEP de la
ville de Kiziltepe, accusée de porter
atteinte à l'intégrité territoriale de la
Turquie sur le fondement de l'article 8
de la loi anti-terreur turque, s'est ouvert
le 24 octobre devant la Cour de sûreté de
l'Etat (DGM) de Diyarbakir. Il lui était
reproché entre autres d'avoir prononcé
le mot" Kurdistan"
au cours d'une
interview accordée le 12 avril au
quotidien suédois Dagens Nyheter mais
aussi d'avoir déclaré que des paysans
kurdes avaient dll fuir après la
destruction de leurs villages par les
militaires.
L'intérêt du procès était double, car non
seulement il s'agit une nouvelle fois
d'une représentante élue directement
par le peuple poursuivie pour ses propos
mais également par le fait que Per
Jonsson, journaliste
suédois du
quotidien en question, soit cité comme
témoin à décharge. Ce dernier a déclaré
qu'il ne se souvenait pas vraiment si
Mme Sincar avait employé le mot
" Kurdistan" dans une interview de deux
heures et demi, réalisée à l'aide d'un
interprète, mais que pour les lecteurs
suédois, il était naturel d'appeler
Kurdistan cette région de la Turquie
aussi bien que le nord de la Suède la
Laponie et l'ouest de la Turquie la
Thrace. Le président de la Cour a
demandé ensuite: " Est-ce que Cihan
Sincar a déclaré que l'Etat turc a détruit 3
000 villages kurdes? ". Ce à quoi, le
journaliste a rétorqué qu'il était le seul
responsable de ce propos et que seuls les
mots mis entre guillemets pouvaient être
attribués à Mme Sincar. Le verdict est
prévu pour le 21 novembre.
AKIN BIRDAL À NOUVEAU
POURSUIVI
POUR
" DÉLIT
D'OPINION ", La Cour de sllreté de
l'Etat d'Istanbul a, le 23 octobre, ouvert
une instruction contre Akin Birdal, viceprésident de la Fédération internationale
des droits de l'homme (FIDH) et ancien
président de l'Association turque des
droits de l'homme (IHD), pour
" incitation à la haine " sur le fondement
de l'article 312 du code pénal turc. Le
parquet d'Istanbul reproche à M. Birdal
les propos qu'il a tenus au cours d'un
débat, le 21 octobre, à Bremerhaven
(Allemagne) ayant pour thème" Les
droits de l'homme en Europe-la Turquie estelle un nouveau partenaire de rUE? ".
Les propos incriminés
sont les
suivants : " Le président Sezer n'a pas
voulu ouvrir le débat sur la question
annénienne en déclarant qu'il faut laisser
cela" aux historiens et à l'histoire ".
Personne n'ignore ce qui a été fait contre les
Arméniens. La Turquie devra demander
pardon pour le génocide contre les
Annéniens et contre les autres minorités,
accompli au COUTS de l'histoire turque. Ismaa
Cem [ndlr : ministre turc des affaires
étrangères], est juif, il devrait annoncer
cela ". Akin Birdal encourt une peine
d'un à trois ans de prison
• MÉCONTENT,
LE CHEF DE
L'ARMÉE TURQUE AJOURNE SA
VISITE AUX ETATS-UNIS. La Turquie
en colère et frustrée a fait monter la
pression, le 4 octobre, sur les Etats-Unis,
son allié privilégié, après l'adoption cf un
projet de loi par une commission du
Congrès reconnaissant
le génocide
arménien.
Le chef d'état-major de la puissante
armée turque, le général Huseyin
Kivrikoglu, a repoussé une visite
bilatérale prévue mi-octobre aux EtatsUnis dans la foulée de l'adoption du
projet, qui qualifie de génocide les
massacres d'Arméniens perpétrés sous
l'Empire ottoman entre 1915 et 1923, a
indiqué un porte-parole de l'état-major.
Le ministère turc des Affaires étrangères
a regretté dans un communiqué que les
"messages" lancés par la Turquie après
l'adoption de la résolution en souscommission n'aient "pas été suffisamment
compris", Ankara a averti que l'adoption
.8.
-
--
Bill/dill de lirJ/stlll d
-
-
--
n° 18ï • octobre 200l)
d'lI/(clmm//ulI
-
~--
de cette loi par la Chambre des
représentants
. aurait de graves
répercussions
sur leurs relations,
aggraverait la tension dans le Caucase,
ainsi qu'entre Ankara et Erevan, qui
n'entretiennent
.pas de relations
diplomatiques.
La presse turque était glacée: "Notre pire
peur s'est concrétisée", titrait le quotidien
populaire Sabah. "Le scandale attendu a
éclaté", soulignait le journal Mi/liyet,
tandis que Yenibinyil titrait: "Le piège
arménien".
Le journal à grand tirage Hurriyet mettait
en exergue le "bon sens" du Sénat
français, qui a le même jour repoussé la
mise à son ordre du jour d'une
proposition comparable : "Calculs
électoraux aux Etats-Unis, bon sens en
Fronce".
Les Arméniens affirment qu'un million
et demi d'Arméniens ont été tués entre
1915 et 1917 lors d'un génocide sous le
régime des Jeunes turcs. La Turquie
parle de 300 à 500.000 morts lors de
massacres et de déportations forcées,
mais réfute la thèse d'un génocide. Elle
met en avant que des Turcs sont aussi
tombés victimes des Arméniens, dont
certains collaboraient avec l'ennemi
russe. La question arménienne est un
tabou qui ne souffre pas de discussion en
Turquie, où toute tentative pour faire
reconnaître un génocide, en France ou .
aux Etats-Unis, est mise sur le compte
d'Erevan.
Ainsi, le directeur du Centre de Recherches
sur les relations turco-arméniennes et le
génocide, qui ouvrait ses portes
précisément le 4 octobre à l'Université
d'Erzurum a indiqué qu'il allait travailler
"silr /e génocide que /es Arméniens ont tenté de
perpétrer contre /es T ures".
Le Département d'Etataméricain se
démène de son côté pour arrêter la
progression de la résolution au Congrès,
soulignant l'importance géostratégique
de la Turquie, fidèle alliée de l'OTAN
dans une région troublée, voisine du
Caucase, de l'Irak et de l'Iran. Quoi qu'il
en soit des tensions entre les deux pays,
elles ne devraient pas remettre en cause
leur partenariat stratégique: le ministère
turc des Affaires étrangères a prévenu
qu'une riposte à l'éventuelle adoption
du projet de loi sur le génocide par la
Chambre "ne portera pas atteinte aux
intérêts nationaux tures, ne fera pas /ejeu de
l'Arménie et des cercles arméniens, et
prendra en compte la relation spéciale entre
Ankara et Washington".
• TANSU ÇILLER DEMANDE
L'EXPULSION
DE TOUS LES
ARMÉNIENS DE TURQUIE. La classe
politique et les médias turcs mènent une
leur croisade contre le projet de
résolution sur le génocide arménien en
examen devant la Chambre des
représentants du Congrès américain.
plus loin-dans
lasurench-ère.-ElIe-
demande qu'en cas d'adoption de cette
résolution la Turquie expulse tous ses
citoyens arméniens vers l'Arménie et
qu'elle fasse payer cher celle-ci par des
mesures les plus efficaces,économiques,
sans doute, mais aussi militaires.
Les 30.000 Arméniens rescapés du
génocide qui sont encore tolérés à
Istanbul se sentent particulièrement.
exposés et otages. Magnanime, Mme
Çiller veut leur donner une chance de
prouver leur loyauté envers la Turquie
en signant personnellement une lettre
adressée au Congrès américain " pour
dénoncer /es agissements des milieux hosti/es
à la Turquie qui à l'instigation de l'Arménie
veulent détruire /e climat de paix, de stabilité
et de fraternité qui règnent dans notre
pays".
Cette lettre a été publiée in extenso dans
le quotidien Hürriyet du 11octobre.
Cette prise de position raciste et
belliqueuse de Mme Çiller n'a, bien sûr,
donné lieu à aucune poursuite judiciaire
. dans un pays où pourtant un ancien
Premier ministre, N. Erbakan, a été
Le gouvernement turc laisse entendre
qu'en cas d'adoption de ce projet, il condamné à un an de prison pour
pourrait exercer des représailles allant
" incitation à la haine raciale ", pour une
de la dénonciation des contrats d'énergie simple phrase: " Si l'idéologie officielle
affirme: 'Heureux ce/ui qui se dit Turc,
signés ave les compagnies américaines
d'un montant de 11 milliards de dollars, comment empêcher nos frères Kurdes de se
à l'interdiction
d'usage de la base
dire fiers d'être Kurdes'''.
aérienne d'Incirlik utilisée par les
aviations américaine et britannique dans De même, les appels quotidiens des
leurs opérations de surveillance du journalistes, des hommes politiques
territoire irakien, à la normalisation avec " des mères de martyrs" demandant
le régime de Saddam Hussein et à " aux Kurdes qui refusent l'assimilation, qui
n'aiment pas Atatürk, qui n'aiment pas
l'exclusion de firmes américaines du
marché des hélicoptères militaires. De notre drapeau de s'en aller ailleurs, de
quoi faire trembler Washington, croit-on, quitter le pays, y compris le sud-est Oire le
Kurdistan) que nous, Turcs, avons conquis
dans les milieux officiels.
par la force " diffusés par les chaînes de
Le chef de l'opposition, Mme Çiller, va télévision publiques et privées ne sont
Il
1'-,-.
\I~
t,lllll'
~l)()(l
pas considérés comme des incitations à
la haine raciale et ne donnent lieu à
aucune poursuite judiciaire.
• EN TURQUIE,
M~ME LE
RECENSEMENT
DE
LA
POPULATION EST TRUQUÉ. La
fraude et le trucage affectent tous les
domaines de la vie politique et
économique turque. Il y a quelques
semaines, un plier de l'establishment,
Kamuran Inan, ancien ministre et actuel
président de la Commission des Affaires
étrangères du Parlement, avait dénoncé
les statistiques officielles turques. Voilà
que la fraude touche un domaine a priori
fondamental, celui du recensement de la
population. En effet, le quotidien turc
Hürriyet dénonce le 28 octobre en sa Une
les supercheries du recensement du 22
octobre en titrant Le choc : LA population
turque est de 71,9 millions, 5 millions de
personnes ont été inscrites en plus ". Le
quotidien qualifie le recensement d' "
escroquerie historique " et annonce que
Tunca Toskay, ministre d'Etat chargé de
l'affaire, a convoqué les spécialistes et
démographes en leur demandant de
revoir leur copie.
Il
Ertugrul Özkök, rédacteur en chef du
quotidien continue ainsi " LA population
turque était de 56 473 000 en 1990, sept ans
après le chiffre étJlit de 62 865 000. Ce qui
veut dire que la population turque avait
augmenté de 6 millions en sept ans ( ... )
Aujourd'hui
en trois ans, il y a une
augmentation de 9 millions de personnes.
Ceci est impossible ". Le quotidien
annonce clairement une fraude organisée
- les subventions étatiques sont
accordées
selon la population
municipale; 35 millions par habitantset souligne que les résultats définitifs ne
seront publiés qu'après vérification. Le
Premier ministre Billent Ecevit a été saisi
de l'affaire.
"
• CAMPAGNE INTERNATIONALE
POUR LA LIBÉRATION D'ESBER
YAGMURDERELI. Le sort de l'avocatécrivain turc aveugle qui a déjà passé 17
de ses 55 années d'existence dans les
geôles turques pour délit d'opinion
suscite une émotion grandissante dans
l'opinion publique internationale.
Le 29 septembre,
le barreau de
Bordeaux, au cours d'une cérémonie
émouvante à l'Ecole nationale de la
magistrature en présence de nombreuses
personnalités a remis son prestigieux
Prix Ludovic Trarieux des droits de
l'homme au fils de Me Yagmurdereli.
Le 13 octobre, 11 ONG occidentales dont
la Fédération
Internationale
des
journalistes, Human Rights Watch, la
Fédération Internationale des association
et institutions des bibliothèques, le PEN
International, les PEN américain et
canadien, ont adressé une lettre
commune au Premier ministre turc
Billent Ecevit lui " demandant avec force,
de décréter, à l' ocœsion de la Jëte nationale
turque du 29 octobre, une vaste amnistie et
afin de démontrer la détermination
du
gouvernement turc de se conformer aux
normes internationales des droits de l'homme
et aux principes de libre expression de libérer
immédiatement et inconditionnellement
de
prison Esber Yagmurdereli " .
Les signataires rappellent que E.
Yagmurdereli " aveugle depuis l'âge de dix
ans a poursuivi sa campagne pour faire
connaître le sort des Kurdes et autres
violations des droits de l'homme en Turquie
tout au long de son procès et de son
emprisonnement en dépit des risques pour luimême et a gagné respect et admiration à /il fois
en Turquie et à l'étranger. A mesure que se
prolonge l'emprisonnement de Yagmurdereli
croît l'outrage dans /il rommutUluté mondiale
des droits de l'homme et des artistes" .
i
I
l
"
'-
I
I
r,}
J
Iii!
li'(
I
•
I.
Plus de 250 écrivains, issus d'une
douzaine de pays, ont signé un appel
international en faveur de la libération
de Me Yagmurdereli.
Parmi les
signataires de cet appel adressé au
Premier ministre turc un fort contingent
d'écrivains américains, scandinaves,
britanniques et tchèques.
Lors de sa visite officielle en Turquie le
président tchèque s'est fait le porteparole
de
cette
mobilisation
internationale
en demandant
au
président turc la libération rapide de
l'écrivain-avocat emprisonné.
• UN DOCUMENTAIRE ESPAGNOL
SUR ZANA ATTIRE LES FOUDRES
DE LA PRESSE TURQUE. Un film
documentaire intitulé La Espalda del
Mundo (Le dos du monde) réalisé par le
cinéaste péruvien résidant en Espagne
avec le concours de la télévision
espagnole TVE et de nombreuses ONG
de droits de l'homme dont le CILDEKT
et l'Institut kurde, vient d'obtenir le prix
de la critique au Festival international de
films de San Sebastian.
Ce documentaire retraçant la vie de
Leyla lana, de son époux Mehdi Zana,
ancien maire de Diyarbekir qui après 17
années passés dans les prisons turques
vit actuellement en exil en Suède, s'attire
les foudres de la presse turque. Donnant
l'alerte, le quotidien Hürriyet, dans son
édition du 16 octobre, qualifie ce
documentaire" hostile à la Turquie" de
" deuxième Midnight-Express ",du nom du
célèbre film américain sur la vie dans les
prisons turques. A défaut de pouvoir
exercer la censure turque jusqu'en
Europe occidentale, la presse turque joue
sur la corde de " la patrie en danger"
pour mobiliser ses lecteurs afin qu'ils
envoient des lettres de protestation aux
représentations espagnoles.
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
VolParis-Ba dad:
tout le monde escend
o
o
o
N
III
• Le6 preMi.om américai~ aumient empêché Le décollage.
•o
écollera
~
Co»
o
•
III
...
III
•
•:IE
III
~
It.
III
fil
..,o
D
que profiter à ~qui,
au sein
du gouvernement
français,
sont hostiles à l'initiative. «En
ou décollera
pas? Le suspense a duré,
vmdredi à l'aéroport de
Roissy, toute la matinée
et le début de l'après-midi.
Finalement, la longue attente a
été vaine. L'avion privé affrété
par trois organisations humanitaires françaises pour embarquer à son bord une centaine
de personnalités françaises et
européennes dans le but de bri-
~
~
~
~
~
~
ser l'embaIgo aérien, imposé de g
factô depuis dix ans àl'Irak, n'a ~
pas pu partir pour Bagdad.
-1
.u .....n uns le sac•. Cet ~
échec a suscité la colère des organisateursetdeshommes po- victime d'une des plus grandes
litiquesqui OODlptaient être du injustices de ce siède».
voyage. Tous ont accusé Wa- C'est un avion de la compagnie
shinßtOn d'avoir exercé des
pressions pour obtenir l'annulation du voL «Cette fois, l'im-
péria1isme amériœin a été pris
la main däns le sac et nous allans pouvoir expliquer aux opinionspubliquescommentsedéploie
l'influence
de
l'impérialisme américain sur
des gouvernements européens
réputés libres et indépendants»,
lance la députée RPR Roselyne
Bachelot. Le père Yves Buannie, président de rONG Enfants du monde-Droits
de
l'homme, va plus loin en dénonçant «la ldcheté du gouver-
nementfrançais et la responsabilité des autorités belges dans
l'échec de notre opération de solidarité avec le peuple irakien,
belge Brussels International
Airline qui aurait dß assurer le
voL «Jesuis formel Un aa;ord
avait été conclu avec elle. Or elle
déplacés
pour rien.
Pour l'ensemble des participants, aucun doute que les
pressions de Washington ont
effrayé les compagnies
aériennes. «Le monde entier est
aux ordres des Etats-Unis et se
l'a dénoncé jeudi soir vers mi- plie à ce qu'il décide», accuse le
nuit», affirme un des organisa- père Jean-Marie Benjamin, un
teurs. «Les autorités belges lui des responsables de l'opération.
ont refusé l'autorisation de dé- Pour l'ancien ministre des Mcoller», ajoute le père Buannic. fäiresétrangères OaudeOleysContact est aussitÔt repris avec
une compagnie russe, Noukovski Avialini, qui avait déjà
été sollicitée. Mais celle-ci va
prétendre que la France lui refuse un couloir aérien pour se
poser à Paris. «Mensonges», réplique-t-on au Quai d'Orsay.
yauraencoredeuxautrescompagnies, belge et italienne, sur
les rangs. En vain. Les parlementaires européens.se seront
n
i
son, qui devait être du vol, «on
peutpenser que legouvernement
amérialin afaitsavoir à cescompagnies que leurs droits de trafic
seraient remis en cause». C'est
sans doute vrai. On sait que la
Grèœetla Twquieontrefuséle
surwl de leur territoire àl' avion
pour Bagdad.
Papille. Reste que l'opération donne l'impression d'une
singulière pagaille qui n'a pu
~
Military in Turkey
~~ Shows Its Weight
~ ; Generals Openly Promote Agenda
Z
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By
Doug~asFfll:lltz
New York TUMS Semee
ANKARA - For four centuries the imperial council of
the Ottoman Empire met in the
divan at Topkapi Palace in
Istanbul to debatethe affairs of
the far-flung realm. Shielded
behind a grilled window above
the tiled chamber, the sultan
observed the proceedings and
dictated his instructions
by
summoning the grand vizier.
The modem Turkish Parliament meets in a contem-
porary stone-and-wood
office
building in Ankara and no
sultan oversees its deliberations. In the capital of the
Turkish republic, the ruler's
role is occupied by the generals, who wield their power
from behind the scenes.
When
Parliament
convened Sunday amid pomp and
speeches, the influence of the
military was evident on two
of the most significant items
on the legislative agenda: one
authorizing
the dismissal of
civil servants suspected of Islamic sympathies and the other easing restrictions on freedom of speech.
matière d'organisation, la compétence de ces ONG n'a pas été
brillante. Pour notre part, nous
n'avons pas cherché à empêcher
ce voL Nous avons laissé la semaine dernière un avion français s'envolerpour Bagdad [lire
Libération du 22-23 septembre]. Ceserait nous déjuger
que de nous opposer à celui-là.
Nous sommes préts à tout moment à procéder à une notifiœtion de ce vol au Comité des
sanctions de l'ONU dès lors que
les organisateurs nous aurons
donné les documents requis»,
indique-t-onau
Quaid'Orsaj ..
Faute de pouvoir déconer, les
participants ont pu se servir de
Roissy comme tribune pour
dénoncer cette «monstruosité
américaine» qu'est l'embargo.
Les parlementaires
français
impliqués
dans l'opération
s'honoreraient
cependant
à
être moins bornés dans leur
appréciation de 11rak. On a vu
Roselyne Bachelotapostropher
des opposants laudes, venus timidement
distribuer
des
tracts, leur promettant
la dé-
mocratie en Irak après la fin de
l'embargo. Le gazage par Saddam Hussein du village kurde
d1tùla~~
qui
a
fait
5000 morts, e' était le 16 mars
1988. Douze ans avant l'embargoen:AN-pIERRE
PERRIN
Turkey's
genenils regard
themselves
as guardians
of
the 77-year-old
secular state
and a bastion against Islamic
fundamentalism.
Though the
military
engineered
three
coups in the last four decades,
its leaders ~fer
to exercise
their authonty quietly.
But the cloak fell away in
late August when the senior
commander,
General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, demanded at a
pubic ceremony
that thousands of Islamic government
employees
be sacked. The
general warned that the military would "monitor"
Parliament's actions.
Western
diplomats
were
1
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
not as surprised by the general' s sentiments as they were
by his decision to announce
_ them in I>ublic. h1 recent interviews, -, diplomatS -Cautioned that Turkey's application for membership in the
Eur~
Union will founder
-unlessthè
~'s
influ-
ence is checked.
While the power of the
armed f~
in public. affairs
may disturb Westerners accustomed to a politically ~eutral military, it ls no sUrprise
to Turks. The cOuntry's military has a high degree of authority over civil matters and.
autOnomy over military affairs under the constitution,
whiCh was written in 1982 by
the generals who had seized
power two yearS earlier.
Tb~ generals bave interpreted their mandate as authority to set parameters of
mand' that Parliament pass a
the legislators~tum
law allowing the purge;
,
in
10
days
after'electiilg their
Human rights advocates
parliamentary leaderSl ~ey
argue tha~the authority will
will face other tough ISSUes,
-, 'T'ne~~tate--is-a-:büil.th.e --result-in-ac~~.ch-hunt-becauseparticulärlYOll-the-economic
people are the passengers and
tJ1ou~~ of.~ployees
will
side, Under prodding froin
the politicians
are the
be dismissed' WIthout a hearthe International Monetary
4river," said Dogu Ergil, a
ing. Similar legislation has sei
Fund; Turkey has been fightpolitical science professor at
far fjÙled'to' pass the fractious
ing to reduce inflation and sell
ParliamenL ,
'
Ankara University. "When
the reckless driver starts
On a quieter level, Turkish ' more state-owned businesseS
to the private sector. Parliaweaving, the army acts as the
politicians said the genera1s
ment must approve a' strin~
road barrier. Instead of rolling
have also warned the govemgent new budget and a law to
over the cliff, the bus hits the
ing coalition not to go too far
sell three state-owned banks.
batrier."
in softening laws that make it
In addition, hundrèds, of
,From the military's vanta critt1e to make speeches and
laws and regulations must be
age point, the ,inroads by Iswrite articles that can be inchanged to confonn with
lamic-oriented civil servants
terpreted ,as inflaming ethnic
European Union standards to
constitute a dangerous weavor religious differences, adstay on the J;Ilembershippath.
ing. When ~ident
Ahmet
vocating an IsIamic regime or '
For the same reason, an effort
Necdet Sezer twice refused to
insulting the military. Here
,is expected to abolish the
sign a decree authorizing the
again the in~~
of the mildeath penalty, a proposal that
mass ,diSmissal of governitary will collide with legishas already generated dissenmentemployees this summer,
lators who favor niore democsion within tb.e three-party
General Kivrikoglu stepped
racy and are concerned about
governing coalition.
in with the thinly veiled dewinning EU membership.
.acceptablé government behavior and remain in the barracks
as long as the civilian leaders
observe the boundaries~
, When
IRAN
Une économie en peau de chagrin
Des exportations de tapis en chute libre, un revenu par habitant en régression ... ,
1'iran est de pLusen pLus
pauvre. Seule la rente pétrolière permet de masquer
la réalité - en attendant des réformes qui redonneront
étrangers.
confiance aux investisseurs
KAYHAN
Londres
e2 Khordad [23 mai], date
de l'arrivée de Mohammad
Khatami à la présidence,
n'a pas été porteur d'un
changement significatif dans la politique économique de l'Iran. Au-delà
des propos généraux sur la justice
sociale et la nécessite de réduire la
dépendance pétrolière, sa politique
économique est restée plutôt ambiguë. Certes, son projet de "mise en
ordre économique", 'proposé en 1998,
a exposé clairement les difficultés qui
minent depuis toujours l'économie,
à savoir l'enjeu de la nationalisation
et de la dépendance pétrolière. Néanmoins, il est resté inefficace sur le pl3n
des solutions concrètes.
Les réformes incontournables - qui
sont à l'ordre du jour depuis quinze
ans - rencontrent aujourd'hui de plus
en plus d'obstacles. Ainsi, l'expérience
iranienne montre à quel point toute
'réforme du champ économique
demeure tributaire du cadre politique
et social. Le climat politique iranien
n'inspire guère confiance: il n'offre pas
la sécurité nécessaire à la mobilisation
L
2
Dessin paru
dans Adineh,
Téhéran.
Â
des capitaux et à l'accroissement de la
production; la diplomatie iranienne
ne parvient que difficilement à attirer
les acteurs internationauX nécessaires
au développement du pays.
Les statistiques officielles dévoi:'
lent le déclin spectaculaire de l'économie en vingt ans. L'industrie, l'agriculture et les secteurs traditionnels de
l'activité économique en souffrent,
à tel point que Issa Kalentari, le
ministre de l'Agriculture, évoque'
ouvertement la menace d'une disparition pure et simple de l'agriculture
iranienne et dénonce les politiques
incohérentes des diverses administrations. Quant aux experts du
Conseil international des céréales, ils
prévoyaient déjà en 1999 que l'Iran
serait, avec 8,5 millions tonneS'; il la '
tête des pays importateurs de blé.
...
DE UNOUVUU
'AM' unUiE
ÉCONOMIQUE
.OLITIQUE
En outre, depuis deux décennies, le
pays a perdu une partie non négligeable des parts de marché à l'exportation de tapis (principal produit
exporté après le pétrole). Shariatmadari, le ministre du Commerce,
a déclaré en 1999 que "la part iranienne dans le commerce mondial du
tapis, qui, en 1974, représentait 41 %
du marché, n'était plus que de 31 %
en 1996, tandis que des pays comme
l'Inde, la Chine et la Turquie ont vu
leurs exportations augmenter durant
cette période". Ainsi, les recettes d'exportations, évaluées à 1,6 milliard de
dollars en 1994, ont chuté à 566 millions de dollars en cinq ans: cette
baisse trouve son origine dans un système de production et une stratégie
commerciale dépassés et inadaptés
aux marchés modernes.
Selon l'avertissement lancé par le
vice-ministre de l'Economie, Massoud
Nili, "les prévisions et les statistiques
montrent qu'à ce rythme économique le
revenu annuel par habitanl en Iran continuera à baisser et sera équivalent à 117
de celui de la Malaisie, à 1120 de celui
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de la Corée du Sud et à 1/4 de celui de
la Turquie dans dix ans". Que faire face
à ce déclin ? Nili répond ainsi : "La
seule chose qui pourrait freiner ce processus serait un développement économique accéléré permettant d'attirer les
investissements étrangers, une consolidation de la production et des lois adaptées
aux investissements."
Certains économistes considèrent
que ces prévisions sont malheureusement d'ores et déjà une réalité.
L'étude du mensuel Eghtessad-e iran
["L'Economie de l'Iran") publiée en
hiver 2000 montre que le revenu
annuel par habitant (évalué en dollars
courants) est passé de 1 705 dollars
en 1976 à 683 dollars en 1998. Nul
ne peut douter que l'économie iranienne a perdu des occasions déterminantes depuis vingt ans et s'est
appauvrie d'une manière significative.
Malgré ces échecs, la naissance
d'une nouvelle pensée économique
dans le pays représente un facteur
encourageant. L'expérience de notre
économie fermée et nationalisée ainsi
que l'effondrement du socialisme ont
servi de leçons : ils ont fait découvrir
à l'élite de la société la nécessité d'une
production de richesses matérielles et
de la continuité d'un développement
durable. La diffusion générale des
débats économiques et l'ouverture des
experts aux idées innovatrices pourront contribuer aux réformes structurelles de l'économie nationale. n est
toutefois évident que le renOllVl:8U éc0nomique structurel n'est possible que
s'il est accompagné d'une réforme
générale des structures politiques.
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3
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Özeti
L'Europa guarda
lA DIASPORA CURDA DAllA TURCHIA E DALl'TRAQ
di CARLO BOLDRINI*
D
a più di due anni armai l'Europa conosce direttamente la
nuova diaspora dei curdi. Il
ritmo costante degli arrivi dall'Iraq
e dalla Turchia testimonia la fuga
dalla repressione e dalla miseria
che da tempo documenta su queste pagine. Fonti ufficiali curde
(IMK) denunciano che nelle province curde di Turchia il reddito
pro capite è metà di quel la nazianale turco. Milioni di curdi (in Turchia ne risiedono fra i 12 e ilS)
che sono stati forzosamente evacuati dall'esercito turco sarebbero
desiderosi di ritornare aile loro case ma le loro attività agricole e
d'allevamento sana state distrutte
in larga parte dalla politica di "terra bruciata" condotta per anni dalla Stato turco nella sua attività
d'antiguerriglia contro i gruppi armati del PKK. Nel corso degli ultimi quindici anni "più di seimila insediamenti sarebbero stati distrutti
e circa un milione di persane è
adesso nelle maggiori città dell' area" (fonte IMK) con conseguenti
enormi problemi urbani e sociali
per le medesime (Diyarbakir, per
esempio, ha triplicato la popolazione residente). Nessuna delle nu-
Bimbe curde oriane dopo la strage di Halabja.
4
merose promesse del governo turco di rilanciare l'economia è stata
mantenuta; la causa ufficiale sarebbe "per insufficiente numero di
pubblici ufficiali di guardia ai villaggi" . L'esercito turco ha cominciato ad ostentare un "progetto di
villaggi centralizzati" nei quali più
vi lIaggi Ii m itrofi dovrebbero ven ire
raggruppati e ricostruiti sotta la supervisione della polizia, con chiari
intenti segregazionisti, ma nessuno
sforza è stato fatto per ricondurre i
rifugiati nei loro originari insediamenti e per ridare loro bestiame e
sementi per ricominciare Ie lara attività di base. Dei nove "pacchetti
per 10 sviluppo" presentati dal governo turco nessuno è stato realizzato né è stato indicato alcun finanziamento. I sindaci delle province a forte popolazione curda
denunciano che Ankara ha allocato finora poco più dell'l % delle
necessità finanziarie
delle aree
orientali (7,5 trilioni di lire turche
contro i necessari 700 trilioni).
Chiaramente, per ragioni strutturali
(sicurezza, carenze energetiche,
lontananza di materie base, alti costi, ecc.) gli eventuali investitori
privati sana disincentivati ad inter-
venire. Essi lamentano che gli incentivi governativi per queste aree
hanna aiutato solo i mercanti di
tappeti turchi. Uno dei più importanti impieghi nella regione è l'apparata di sicurezza impasto a carico finanziario delle comunità con
grandi problemi di reimpiego delle
altre 90 mila guardie alle originarie
attività, stante il crolla delle attività
guerrigliere del PKK.
Per la trentasettesima volta l'Assemblea nazianale turca ha rinnovato 10 "stato d'emergenza" nelle
province abitate dai curdi il che
permette di fatto l'usa della tortura,
gli arresti arbitrari, l'esecuzione
senza prove certe, il "desaparecidisma" ed agni attacco ai diritti umani poiché le forze di sicurezza e di
polizia hanna ampi poteri (ufficialmente contro i "separatisti") contra
agni "sospettato" come è accaduto
finora. Tutto cib confermerebbe
un' azione prevaricatrice verso la
popolazione curda da sempre oggetto di persecuzione etnica, culturale, linguistica e d'emarginazione
socio-economica
fondate sul disconoscimento della sua esistenza
come tale.
I curdi esisterebbero cioè in quanta
individui singoli di nazionalità turca ma mai in quanta minoranza etnica. Tali vicende ribadirebbero
inoltre la vecchia impostazione
dell'establishment turco di considerare le province orientali solo
per 10 sfruttamento d'alcune materie prime come il petrolia e di
mantenere nelle province centrooccidental i l'asse della struttura
produttiva dei Paese.
La condizione umana dei curdi resta difficile anche nella regione irachena a nord dei 35° parallelo protetta dall'ONU dal 1991. Qui i residenti continuano a subire gli effetti dell'embargo
internazianale
contra l'Iraq e quelli del regime di
"
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti
I
•
Baghdad in un contesto caratterizzato dalle note enormi distruzioni
e dai grandi lutti portati dalla politica genocida di Saddam Hussein e
dei suoi accoliti. Tale atteggiamento dell'ONU non è mai stato giustificato. Questi ha istituito la "no-fly
zone" per impedire il genocidio
dei curdi lasciandoli poi in serie
difficoltà
socio-economico-sanitarie. Le Nazioni Unite non sono andate oltre l'emergenza. La rimozione dell'embargo internazionale all'enclave
curda - ripetutamente
sollecitata - poteva e potrebbe essere interpretata come un velato riconoscimento ad un embrione di
Stato nazionale e cio è inammissibile per la Turchia - cosi importante per la politica statunitense verso
10 scacchiere caucasico - ed anche
per l'Iran oltre che per Baghdad e
Damasco.
A cio si affiancano altre due gravi
questioni. Una è data dai drammatici effetti dei bombardamenti chimici attuati fino al 1991 che, nel
tempo, risultano aver irreversibilmente segnato la popolazione anche nelle generazioni future (nascono bambini con gravi deformazioni e malattie che s'aggiungono
alle vittime presenti in quegli anni).
Un'altra è data dagli ormai famosissimi venti milioni di mine, largamente fabbricate in Italia, dislocate
in campi nelle aree di frontiera e
lungo le rotabili, che continuano a
produrre lutti ed amputazioni
a
persone d'ogni età (moltissimi
i
bambini) e rendono molto problematiche le attività agricole e d'allevamento nonché un minimo d'insediamenti produttivi.
S'aggiunga
la costante, "manovrata", aggressività di Saddam che ha espulso
moite decine di migliaia di curdi
residenti fuori dalla "no-fly zone"
che vi si sono poi riversati au mentando le difficoltà.
A questo punto è bene evidenziare
che ''l'armamento chimico-biologico iracheno è ancora molto pericoloso" (H. Sharestani, il più noto fisico iracheno in esilio). Dai 1992
l'ONU avrebbe ottenuto la distruzione di 600 tonnellate d'iprite (so-
Patrioti curdi d'Iraq con Carlo Boldrini.
10 i119% dei totale prodotto), di 30
tonnellate di tabun (solo i112% del
totale), di 70 tonnellate di sarin (solo 1'8% dei totale). Il resto della
produzione non sarebbe stato trovato dagli ispettori.
Oggi in Iraq "esisterebbero ben 41
centri idonei a riprodurre armi chimiche e sarebbero riattivabili in 15
giorni". Nulla si sa di cio che sta
accadendo in 35 di questi siti. La
produzione biologica è stata di batulinum (paralizzante e letale), di
anthax (letale in pochi giorni), d'aflatoxin (cancerogeno), di ricin (paralizzante), di muffe distruttrici dei
cereali.
Fra i centri di produzione ci sono
Abu Greb, dove secondo l'ONU
furono fatti esperimenti su detenuti
politici (tra la fine degli anni '80 e
il '95) e su prigionieri di guerra iraniani, e AI Haditha dove si sperimenterebbe
ancora dal 1995.
L'Iraq ha dichiarato la distruzione
di tutte le bombe biologiche e chimiche ma non ha mai provato dove e quando.
Orbene, l'Europa e J'ltalia non possono trascurare quanto è avvenuto
ed accade in Turchia. Non si puo
pensare di fermare la diaspora curda verso l'Europa contrattando bilaterlamente solo misure di polizia
senza confrontarsi con la complessa crisi della Turchia. Visto che "gli
Stati Uniti desiderano la Turchia
nell'Unione
europea"
(Giscard
d'Estaing), è troppo ardito proporre
un piano per 10 sviluppo economico delle regioni orientali sostenuto
dall'Unione
e contrattato col governo turco ottenendo l'abolizione
della pena di morte, il riconoscimento dei diritti delle minoranze,
il rispetto dei diritti umani in cambio dell'accesso all'Unione?
L'Europa e l'italia
non possono
neppure trascurare la situazione
irachena. È cosi improponibile
l'eliminazione
dell'embargo
almeno
sui prod ott i sanitari e per l'agricoltura, nonché il sostegno finanziario
alla bonifica dei territori dalle mine? Fino ad oggi sono stati rimossi,
per carenza di mezzi, solo 100 mila ordigni (cosi procedendo occorreranno secoli per la bonifica). Cosa aspetta la Camera dei Deputati
ad approvare la legge istitutiva dei
Fondo per 10 sminamento umanitario (approvata a gennaio dal Senato) e a sostenere una destinazione
parziale per questa realtà?
La diaspora curda è divenuta un
problema europeo; di questo passo
10 sarà sempre più. Occorre intervenire con efficacia sulle cause più
che sugli effetti dei fenomeno.
•
* Presidente Associazione Culturale /talia
Kurdistan.
5
- Efforts -fo -end- -PKKlPtlK ~c-o-nfli-ct- m-o-ve -ahead• The Kurdistan National Assembly may send a delegation to KDP leader Mesut Barzani
MertGozde
Ankara - Turkish Daily News.
Efforts to call a cease fire to the.constant armed clashes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
separatist terrorist organization and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are continuing. Letters have
been sent to both factions calling for an end to the fighting, and a delegation of women from Turkey who
call themselves the "Kurdish Mothers for Peace" have began establishing contacts innorthern Iraq.
The women, all mothers of deceased PKK separatist terrorists, are reportedly seeking talks in northern
Iraq with both Cemil Bayik of the PKK and with PUI< leader Dr. Talebani. At the same time, it has been
learned that Kurdish circles in Europe together with Kurdish associationS and the Kurdistan National
Assembly have also been spurred into. action to bring this fratricidal conflict to an end.
Should the efforts being shown by the "Kurdish Mothers for Peace" prove futile, then a delegation whose
numbers include Kurdistan National Assembly member Musa Kaval and Democracy Party (DEP) Van
Deputy Remzi Kartal will go to northern Iraq and reportedly ask Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP) leader
Mesut Barzani for assistance. The delegation, which will travel from Europe to northern Iraq, will ask
Barzani to take on the role of negotiator between the two warring sides.
Talebani accused of being Turkey's catspaw
Furthermore, supporters of the PKK and the Peoples' Democracy Party (HADEP) in Turkeyare accusing
PUI< leader Talebani of acting to further Turkey's own interests. These circles maintain that the PUK
Peshmerga started attacking the PKK immediately after their leader Talebani returned from having talks
with Turkish government officials. They say that Turkey could have offered Talebani a share in the
income gathered from Habur customs. As evidence to back up their claims, the PKK and HADEP cite
images on Medya TV of a long-haul truck carrying arms and munitionsfrom Turkey to northern Iraq
that was involved in an accident at the Habur border crossing ..
.PKK and HADEP circles, pointing to the weapons and munitions littering the ground around the truck
after the accident, assert that the arms in question could well have been provided by the Turkish
. government for use by Talebani's Peshmerga.
Another reason cited for the PKK/PUK clashes is that the PKK have started trying to win over PUK
supporters innorthern Iraq. The PUK, fearful their supporters will be won over by the PKK, have
demanded the PKK leavethe area. However, when they became unable to force the PKK out of the area,
the PUK began an armed struggle against the PKK in order to preserve their own existence. in northern
Iraq.
.
.
PKK and HADEP sources maintain that the PKK has never staged any counterattacks and is fighting in
self-defense only against the PUI< Peshmerga. They say that todate thePKK has lost 13 of its members in
clashes with the PUI<. .
.
02 October 2000/ Copyright @ Turkish Daily News
6
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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti
Plus de 20 tués dans des .accrochages
entre kurdes irakiens et turcs
--
DUBAI, 2 oct (AFP) - 16h51- Des accrochages opposaient lundi des combattants de l'Union Patriotique du Kurdistan (UPK) et des
rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) dans le nord de l'Irak, a-t-on appris auprès de l'UPK qui a déploré 22 tués en
plus de deux semaines.
Selon un porte-parole de l'UPK, Fouad Maasoum, sa formation a perdu 10 combattants dans de violents échanges de tirs samedi soir
avec les rebelles du PKK qui "cherchent à occuper des zones" sous le contrôle de l'UPK, près de la frontière avec l'Iran.
"Dix autres combattants ont été tués le 15 septembre. Deux jours plus tard, 2 autres combattants ont trouvé la mort en essayant de
contrer une offensive du PKK dans la région de Kardakh," à des dizaines de km du triangle de la frontière irako-irano-turque, a
ajouté à l'AFP M. Maasoum depuis Londres où il est basé.
Une offr~ de cessez-le-feu annoncée samedi par le chef de l'UPK, Jalal Talabani, à la demande d'une délégation d'une organisation
non gouvernementale turque, "Les Mères de la Paix", en visite au Kurdistan irakien, n'a pas été acceptée par le PKK, a-t-il affirmé.
"Cette formation n'a jamais respecté un accord passé en juin dernier, en vertu duquel ses combattants devaient se cantonner dans la
région de Jebel Qandil, qui s'étend sur plusieurs centaines de km2, sur la frontière avec l'Iran", a dit M. Maasoum.
''Depuis, ils ont occupé plusieurs villages" sous contrôle de l'UPK, a-t-il ajouté sans donner plus de précision.
Le Kurdistan irakien échappe au contrôle du régime de Bagdad depuis la fin de la guerre du Golfe en 1991. L'UPK contrôle la partie
est de ce territoire, frontalier de l'Iran, alors que son rival, le Parti Démocratique du Kurdistan (PDK), tient le secteur proche de la
Turquie.
Depuis l'arrestation en février 1999 de son chef, Abdullah Ocalan, condamné à mort pour trahison, le PKK prône une solution
pacifique du problème kurde et a proclamé l'abandon de la lutte armée lancée en 1984. Mais ses combattants retranchés dans le nord
de l'Irak sont également la cible de l'armée turque qui mène de fréquentes incursions en territoire irakien.
En juillet, le Premier ministre turc Bulent Ecevit avait rencontré M. Jalal Talabani et l'a remercié pour sa lutte contre le PKK,
marquant un rapprochement avec l'UPK qu'Ankara accusait auparavant d'aider les séparatistes turcs.
Onze membres du parti pro-kurde HADEP
arrêtés-pour soutien au PKK
-
DIYARBAKIR (Turquie), 2 oct (AFP) - 16h25- Onze membres du parti pro-kurde de la démocratie du peuple (HADEP) ont été placés
en état d'arrestation dimanche pour soutien aux rebelles kurdes de Turquie, a-t-on appris lundi de source de sécurité locale à
Diyarbakir (sud-est).
Le président provincial du HADEP à Sirnak (sud-est), Resul Sadak, et d'autres dirigeants locaux, interpellés le 23 septembre, ont
été officiellement arrêtés pour soutien au Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) et incarcérés après avoir comparu devant un
tribunal de cette ville, a-t-on précisé de même source.
Une source des services de sécurité à Diyarbakir, plus importante ville du Sud-est anatolien, avait alors expliqué les
interpellations par la saisie de trois grenades et d'un fusil automatique dans l'une des voitures d'un convoi du HADEP qui rentrait à
Sirnak d'une province voisine.
"Ces allégations sont dénuées de tout fondement", a affirmé le HADEP dans un communiqué lundi, en dénonçant un complot politique
et en demandant la libération "immédiate" de ses membres.
Selon le HADEP, ces arrestations font partie des efforts des autorités pour empêcher l'implantation
du HADEP à Sirnak.
Le HADEP n'est pas représenté au parlement faute d'avoir obtenu les 10% de voix nécessaires au niveau national, mais a obtenu la
direction de toute une série de municipalités dans le sud-est à majorité kurde lors des élections de 1999.
n fait
l'objet d'une procédure d'interdiction en justice pour "liens organiques" avec le PKK.
Le PKK a mis fin en septembre 1999 à sa rébellion armée à la demande de son chef, Abdullah 0caIan, condamné à mort en juin de la
même année pour séparatisme et trahison. Depuis, les affrontements entre armée et PKK dans le sud-est ont quasiment cessé, à
l'exception de quelques combats sporadiques.
7
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhcvoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn L>zeti
Despite US opposition, Hussein in 'GREAT SHAPE'
'.October 2, 2000 By John Diamond Washington Bureau .
"~ •••Wiill'"
..;,...""",,Trihlln_
.-.-....•
_~
-
~
-
-
---
.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. strategy of containment against Iraq is unraveling amid rising oil prices, bickering among allies and concern about the suffering of the Iraqi people.
PresiQent Saddam Hussein's hold on power is as strong as ever.Using money diverted from the UNsanctioned oil-for-food program, his military has begun to rebuild from the damage sustained in the
Per$ian Gulf war. The surge in fuel prices suddenly places the West in the awkward posture of beseeching Iraq not to cut crude oil production.
"Make no mistake abOut it. Iraq is awash with money," said Richard Butler, the former UN weapons inspeqtor whose team was turned out of Iraq twO years ago. "The regime is in great shape,. he told law-'
makers last week. Mild protestations from Washington have done nothing to stop an increasing flow of
c9mmercial f1ightsinto Iraq from Franc~, RlIS$ia, Jordan and Yemen.lraq ha.savoided international arms
)~~pe~t1ons foi' two years, leaving the, Pentâgon in the dark. as to eaghdad's arSEmai.
The economic sanctions kept in place at Washington's urging are coming LInder increasing attack not
only from countries such as Russia and France that hope to do a boomjng business with Iraq but also
from U.S.:lawmakers of both parties concerned about the effect on nutrition and infant mortality in Iraq.
No one seems happy with the U.S. containment strategy. But after months of intensive internal review
by the Clinton administration, no workable alternative has emerged. Admitting frustration, the administration counsels patience while Hussein gives every indication that time is on his side.
"We would like to see Saddam gone," Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering told Arab journalists
recently. "But I can't tell you that there is a magic formula to see this done. Our magic formula, in reality, is patience .... It is not a perfect policy."
One of the participants in Capitol Hill's policy review was retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, until recently the head of the U.S. military command in charge of the Persian Gulf region.Zinni has briefed senior
administration officials on a secret war plan that details how the U.S. military, with limited allied help,
would seek to topple Hussein. The effort would be massive, involving possibly as many as half a mil- .
lion troops, according to one knowledgeable. official.
Although he has confidence in U.S. forces, Zinni has no illusions that such ascheme could win public
support, considering the cost in lives and dollars it would almost certainly involve.Nor, he said, woUld
any gulf nation allow such an offensive to spring from its territory without a major provocation by Iraq.
"I wracked my brain for over four years to come up with a strategy other than containment that might
work," Zinni told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I have to be honest with you: I didn't come up
with a better one. Containment is what you do when you can't come up with the popular. will to take
d~cisive military action. "The gulf war almost a decade ago left Hussein with a shaky hold on power.
Armchair generals complained that the Bush administration ended the war too soon and blew a chance to drive Hussein from power.
Bush allies such as retired Gen. Colin Powell, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now'
an active supporter of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's run for the presidency? call those criticisms preposterous; They say the coalition of nations, including many Arab countries, would have fallen apart had
the United States marched on Baghdad. Nevertheless, the notion that Hussein somehow survived
because of U.S. weakness has persisted, and the Iraqi leader's ability to tweak Washington has remained a majorforeign policy irritant to the Clinton administration for the past eight years ..
Since the gulf war, the United States has spent $8 billion building up an arsenal in the gulf, deploying
thousands of troops to the region, conducting occasional "pinprick" strikes, and flying hundreds of combat sorties over northem and southern Iraq. Under U.S. and allied scrutiny, Iraq has refrained from
threatening military moves against its neighbors, and for this reason U.S. allies in the gulf such as Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain and Oman continue to allow a U.S. military presence.
But the 30-nation coalition that fought Iraq in 1991 has nearly evaporated. Only U.S. and British warplanes participate in keeping Iraqi planes from entering the northern and southern Iraq no-fly zones.
8
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti
"Why is the United States virtually alone?' Sen. John Wamer (R-Va.), chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, asked at a recent hearing.Frustrated t>Y Iraq's ability to defy international sanctions and to throw out U.S. arms inspectors, Congress passed legislation two years ago to funnel $97
million to opposition groups seeking to topple Hussein. Yet so far, the money has gone to fax maohines
and copiers, and not a single bullet has been purchased with the aid, according to Clinton administration reports.
Opponents of Hussein inside Iraq are far too weak to challenge his regime. Arab-language newspapers have reported that he has cancer and that the recent flights from France carried medical specialists to treat him. But U.S. intelligence dismisses this as wishful thinking, saying there's no evidence to
support rumors that Hussein is ailing.Richard Perle, a senior Reagan administration official and close
adviser to Gov. Bush, advocates a more active U.S. military role, including arming and training indigenous Iraqi opposition groups.
'It is increasingly clear that the only solution to the danger posed by Saddam Hussein is a sustained,
determined plan to remove him from power,' Perle said .• Saddam has emerged from each new bombing stronger than before. Support for sanctions, whose most visible effect is the impoverishment of the
Iraqi people, is sinking fast.'
The technical term used by the Pentagon to explain the current military posture toward Iraq is "keeping
Saddam in his box.'
Increasingly it appears Washington is boxed in by its own Iraq policy. The United States got involved in
the gulf war for economic reasons.' Jobs, jobs, jobs,' was how then-Secretary of State James Baker
explained it. The idea was that aggression by one nation In the heart of the world's richest oil region
would upset energy markets, with potentially enormous repercUSSions in the United States, perhaps leading to recession and unemployment.
To win pUblic support for waging the gulf war, however, Washington had to demonize Hussein, and the
Iraqi leader gave the Bush administration plenty of material.
There were his Scud missile attacks on Israel and poison gas attacks on his own Kurdish population in
the north in the late 19808. There was the brutal treatment of Kuwait during Iraq's occupation.
Immediately after the war, there was the iron-fisted repression of an uprising by the so-called marsh
Arabs in southern Iraq.
Subsequent UN inspections revealed a huge Iraqi chemical and biological
beginnings of a nuclear weapons effort.
weapons program and the
Today, the rest of the world appears to see Iraq in economic terms, as a possible trading partner, as
holder of the world's second-largest oil reserves whose production capacity could ease the latest fuel
price spike.
The State Department acknowledges that even if Hussein observed all the requirements imposed by
the UN, the containment policy would remain until he was out of power. With no arms inspectors inside Iraq, it is difficult to tell whether Hussein has reconstituted his programs to build weapons of mass
destruction. But there is some evidence to indicate that he is. Despite the suspicions of an arms buildup by Baghdad, the administration, pressured-by France and Russia in the UN Security Council, has
acquiesced repeatedly on Iraq.
Just last week, the U.S. lifted its earlier objections and voted to allow Iraq to lower the percentage of its
oil revenue that must go into a fund to compensate victims of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence suspects that some of the food and drugs Iraq is buying with oil money are
being exported for cash the regime can use for weapons.
Stephen Solarz, a former Democratic congressman from New York known for his foreign policy expertise, told Congress last week that the United States has declared its intention of toppling Hussein
without a plan that offers a realistic hope of achieving that objective. 'We're paying a very heavy price
in terms of our credibility in the region,' Solarz said.
*****.
9
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Ozeti
Iran Reportedly Agrees To Host 'US Financed Iraqi Opposition Office in Tehran
AI-Hayat 02 Oct 00 pp 1,6 ,byZuhayr Qusaybati
Information received from northem Iraq reported that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [PUl<] and the
Kurdish Workers Party [PKI<] resumed their fierce battles in the region on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, sources in the opposition Iraqi National Congress [INC] have confirmed that Tehran has
agreed to let the INC open an office in the Iranian capital, even though this will be done with US finanCing as part of a pledge by President Bill Clinton's administration to spend $4 million by the end of thIS
year on the INC's media and political activities.
Other sources in the Iraqi opposition said that Tehran's agreement to host the office "is part of a USIranian courtship" and pointed out that coordination between Washington and Tehran would be in the
opposition's interest.
A leading official in the INC tO,ldAI-Hayah that the US administration's pledge to spend $4 million is
not conditional, such as operations inside Iraq by groups affiliated to the INC. He stressed that the
talks heidin London few days ago with Frank Ricciardone, the US Coordinator of the Iraqi Opposition's
Activities, did not touch at all on the issue of any military activities by the opposition inside Iraq. He
denied charges that some organizations have opened channels of communications to normalize relations with President Saddam Husayn's regime.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that Washington has agreed to give the INe $4 million within
the framework of an agreement reached after five days of negotiations in London. It said: This will
allow the oppositionists to resume their operations inside Iraq for the first time in six years and will also
be able to open offices in Washington, Tehran, and Iraq's Kurdistan.
It asserted that the Americans
undertook to finance the opening of the INC office in Tehran and pointed out that the opposition coalition "hopes to use Iran as a base for infiltrating southem Iraq and operating inside Kurdistan.
The British newspaper cited INC sources as saying that there is an intention "to carry out operations
inside Iraq aimed at building support for democracy, helping internai opposition, and providing humanitarian aid." Regarding the situation in northem Iraq, Kurdish sources have confirmed that [PUK Leader
Jalal] Talabani has decided to evict all the PKK fighters from the areas under his Party's control"at any
price." A leading official in the puk told AI-Hayah, "The two sides have resumed their fighting with
ferocity", adding that the PUK has lost 30 fighters. He accused the PKK of sending 1,500 fighters "in
:':{:l'newattack near thebotder,with Ir~n tha~,targeted viilagE:)sin the Oal'at Dazat) area." He reiterat~d
,: the accusations that Baghdad has "instigate~" the PKK and Passed troops on thé contact lines with the
,,areas under Talabani's control. He all?o admittéd that Ankara hàssent "wamings" to the PUK and hint~çl that it would intervene militarily if Talabani does not evict the' PKK from northem'Iraq.
******
Medical equipment delivered to hospital in Kurdish region
Kurdistan Satellite TV 2 Oct 00
Alongside the improvement of rehabilitation, science, education, agriculture and economic situation, the
heal,th situation is also improving by the year and the rate ,of birth to death exceeds ~5 per ce~t [as
heard]. This improvement in the citizen's situation is referred to a number of factors; first of ~II IS the
provision of medicines and new equipment by the health ministry of. the [Ku.rdistan Democra~lc partyled] regional govemment. In this respect, a number of modem medical equlpme.nt w.ere .dellver.ed to
Azady Hospital in Dohuk. These equipment are being installed and used for the first time In Kurdistan.
The most importam one is the laparoscope, used for abdominal and kidn~y su~geries an~ other general surgeries. This special equipment operates on the abdomen of the patient without l~a~lng a wound.
The surgery is conducted in a very short time and the patient is able to resume normal life In a few days.
Other special equipment for abdominal diseases are also available for patients. The equipment are gastroscope, colonoscope and sigmoidoscope. The three equip~ent diagnose iIInes~es and treats them
according to the findings.ln addition to that, physiotherapy eqUIpment, some of which use Laser, were
dellveréd to the physiotherapy department at Azady Hospital.
10
The official in charge of the department said: Previously, there was a huge gap in our work as a result
of shortage in physiotherapy equipment. Today, a wide-ranging service is available in our department
and our workers are continuously working to provide the treatment.
According to the hospital's plans, a wide range of new equipment are expected to be delivered to the
staff~ [Voice - recording] Other equipment are still to be delivered to us. We asked equipment for breaking Kidney stones. A prostate-treatment equipment, mentulascope, is expected to be delivered to us
in the near future
******
Columnist Views General's Remarks, Suggests Kurd Policy Change
Milliyet 2 Oct 00 P 19 by Hasan Cemal
When Turkey's full membership in the European Union [EU] is discussed ...When one says democracy and a state of law...When the "Copenhagen criteria" are mentioned within this framework ...the following subject comes to the forefront every time:
The Southeast and the Kurds ...
Or a question is asked: Could Turkey be divided?
For example, General Yasar Buyukanit, the Second Chief of General Staff, made an interesting speech the other day. He stated that for Turkey the "path to Europe is the path of Ataturk" and explained as
follows:
. "Joining the EU is a geostrategic and geopolitical necessity for the realization of the objective of
modemization that was shown to Turkey by the great leader Ataturk. No one should have any doubts
about this." After that, General Buyukanit, brought up the subject I mentioned at the beginning of my
article:
"However, it is the most natural right of Turkey to attain this goal by preserving its unitary and secular structure and by taking the necessary measures for this .•
It is a justified observation.
I am also against the division of Turkey. I am in favor of a unitary, that is, a single state. I also defend
the preservation of secularism as the inalienable infrastructure of modemization and democracy.
But how? That is the critical question, because when we start talking about the subjects of fine adjustment, then the question leads to hot debates.
An example related to separatism:
Let us take up the HADEP [People's Democracy Party]. This party is mostly the party of the citizens
of the Republic of Turkey of Kurdish origin. In the last elections they received around 1.5 million votes
throughout Turkey. Since this corresponds to a little over 4 percent of the total votes, it was under the
minimum 10 percent limit required for any party to be elected, and they could not enter the parliament.
In contrast, the HADEP won 39 municipalities in the southeast, including the Diyarbakir Metropolitan
Municipality, because the HADEP's total votes in the southeast were over 40 percent and it was close
to 60 percent in Diyarbakir.
The following is a reality:
If there was no pressure by the state in the rural areas in the southeast, in some counties, or even
in some provinces, the HADEP could have increased its ratio of votes even more. It means that in the
southeast the parties other than the HADEP are insignificant. Well, why and how does the HADEP
manage to get so many votes in the southeast? Is it because the HADEP's views related to foreign policy, economy, art, and culture are very popular in the southeast? Of course, it is not for that. When you
ask, the response you get is generally the same:
"Because the HADEP. is our party.•
11
-
The people in the southeast, because they believe that the other parties and the state itself exclude them, vote for "their own party" each time. This party was previously called the HEP [People's Labor
Party], it was closed. Later it became the DEP [Democracy Party). That was also closed. If the HADEP
~is-.s!0sed tomorrow,-then another party_wilLbe Joullcled. The Turkish citizens of Kurdish ongin will go and
vote for their own party each time.
- --- What is their .own" party? The Kurdish party! Even if the HADEP claims that this is not so, this is a
fact, because the majority of the people voting for the HADEP are Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin.
-- -These citizens of ours aregiving
their votes to the HADEP because they find it to be close to them.
--. Here, like it or not, another subjèct comes out in the forefront:
_ The Kurdish identity ...
_ If there are Kurds, thl;m they also have their identity. They have their language and their culture. If
thëre are Kurds, and if they afso have' their language and culture and if both of them are denied, then
it means that there is a Kurdish problem.
You can call this the southeast problem, but it does not change the substance of the problem very
much, and you cannot solve this problem by only providing them with food and work.
Here two points are .important:
1. If you would allow the HADEP to engage in political activities and pull this party into the political
system, instead of banning it--of course, provided that the. HADEP excludes violence and terrorism ...
2. If you would pave the way for our citizens of Kurdish origin to use, leam, and teach their own language and do not prevent them from preserving and develqping their cultural traditions ...
Thus, if you would realize these two points, then the HADEP can be drawn into the legal platform
and become politically "tamed or matured." At the same time, other parties can broaden their vote bases
in the southeast, that is, they can compete with the HADEP and it may be possibl~ for them to get a
share of the "Kurd.ish votes." It will also help to prevent the probable effects of separatist aspirations
stemming from "Kurdish nationalism" and "Kurdishness."
The Wrong and the Right
For these rea~ons, I think that only giving emphasis to the economic and social development but
ignoring the identity dimension of the southeast will be insufficient, because the educated people who
have a liveiihobd would sElareh even more for an identity and I believe that they will embrace their ongins. There are so many examples of this in the world.
For these reasons:
It will be correct to moderate the harsh attitude on subjects such as Kurdish radio-television and education--now that terrorism has been' crippled. I do not think that Turkey's unitary structure will be negatively affected from this.
.
Also, the changing of [Article] 312will not constitute a threat to the secular structure of Turkey.
The speech of General Buyukanit, with which I agree in general, gave me the opportunity to bring
some of the fine adjustment dimensions of the subject onto the agenda. To make these fine adjustments
without further delay is mainly up to the government and the political institution.
******
Le chef kurde Massoud Barzani _à Ankara pour
des entretiens sur l'Irak
ANKARA, 3 oct (AFP) - 15h38- Massoud Barzani, chef du Parti Démocratique du Kurdistan (PDK), faction kurde du nord de l'Irak,
s'entretiendra mercredi à Ankara avec le Prerrlier ministre turc Bulent Ecevit des derniers développements dans sa région, a-t-on
appris mardi de source proche du PDK.
"M. Barzani évoquera de nombreux sujets avec les responsables turcs, y compris les récentes initiatives destinées à briser l'embargo.
aérien imposé à l'Irak", a-t-on indiqué de même source.
M. Barzani doit également rencontrer des responsables du ministère des Affaires étrangères lors de sa visite de quelques jours, avant
de faire une tournée dans plusieurs pays européens, a-t-on ajouté.
12
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn (jzeti
A ce jour, trois avions arabes-marocain, jordanien et yéménite--ont atterri à Bagdad, pour la première fois depuis plus de dix ans
d'embargo aérien, faisant suite à des vols russes et français organisés vers l'Irak.
Le Kurdistan irakien échappe au contrôle du régime de Bagdad depuis la fin de la guerre du Golfe en 1991. L'Union Patriotique du
Kurdistan (upK de Jalal Talabani) contrôle la partie est de ce territoire, frontalière de l'Iran, alors que son rival, le POK, tient le
secteur proche de la Turquie.
Le POK est l'allié d'Ankara depuis 1997 contre le Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (pKK, rebelles kurdes de Turquie) et l'armée
turque lance fréquemment des opérations contre les sanctuaires du PKK dans le nord de l'Irak.
Le PKK a mis fin à sa rébellion armée contre l'Etat turc en 1999 et s'est retranché dans le nord de l'Irak.
L'UPK, longtemps accusée par Ankara de soutenir le PKI<, a fait état ces derniers temps de violents accrochages entres ses
peshmergas et des maquisards du PKK dans la région.
******
PUK peshmergas kill five PKK militants
northern Iraq
•
In
• Turkish military officials announced that members of the PUK, which controls a strip of territory
in Iraq near the Iranian border, have killed five PKK militants
Tunceli - Reuters
Fighting between rival Kurdish factions continued fo~ a fourth d?y in ~?rthern ~~q o~ Monday after an
Iraqi Kurdish militia killed five PKK terrorists overmght, a TurkIsh mIlItary offiCIaI Said.
Turkish military officials told Reuters that members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which
controls a strip of territory bordering Iran, killed five militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The PKK has used northern Iraq as a base for its armed struggle for autonomy in southeastern Turkey,
and many of its forces retreated to the mountainous region after the 1999 capture of its chief, Abdullah
Ocalan.
But two rival Iraqi Kurdish factions have controlled much of northern Iraq since seizing the region,
which is protected by U.S. and British air patrols, from Baghdad after the 1991 Gulf War.
A PUK representative said the latest fighting was started by the PKK.
'The PUK doesn't allow them to infiltrate the region [it controls]," he said. "There is no campaign by us
against them -- it's a campaign by them against us."
Iraqi Kurds and PKK groups say fighting between the PKK and the PUK has killed dozens of people in the
last few weeks.
A PUK representative
in Ankara said fighting had ended with seven of its militiamen dead.
Turkey stops journalists visiting northern Iraq, making independent
confirmation
of reports difficult.
Turkey frequently sends thousands of troops into northern Iraq during offensives against PKK militants
and has fought them alongside the other principal Iraqi Kurdish faction, the Kurdistan Democratic Party
(KDP).
04 October 2000, Copyright @ Turkish Daily News
13
Revue de Pri?sse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê~Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
La propagande turque se déchaÎne
- - - -eo-ntre~la-feee-n-n-a-i-s-s-a-RCe du génocide arménien
«:)
«:)
«:)
N
W
lX:
m
o
Io
o
Encouragé par le report jeudi dernier par le Comité
qué, en précisant que "les band~s arméniennes avaient
des Relations internationales
de la Chambre des
ma~~cré 11.000 personnes" à Erzurum et 80.000 dans
Représentants des États-Unis, du vote d'une résolution
la~~i.:i/e région d'Igdir au nom du "rêve d'une grande
appelant la Maison Blanche à reconnaHre le génocide
Arménie". M. Konukcu affirme qu'un~ vingtaine de fosses
des Arméniens, le pouvoir turc accentue ses pressions
communes attestent dans la région des massacres qu'ausur les parlementaires américains. Multipliant les mises
rai~nt perpétrés les Arméniens à l'encontre des Turcs, en
en garde, alternant la menace et les exposés récurrents
ajOutant que les Arméniens avaient quant à eux quitté
de la version turque des événements de 1915, l'ensemble
volontairement Erzurum pour la Russie à la suite de l'acde la classe politique turque, relayée par les media et par
cord d'Edirne de 1829. Par aillelirs, un député du Parti de
le lobby turc aux États-Unis s'est engagé dans cette camla Vertu (islamiste) ailait soumettre à l'examen du présipagne de propagande visant à empêcher le texte controde'lt du Parlement turc une proposition d'enquête sur le
versé d'aller au-delà de la Sous-commission des droits de .gé~9cide perpétré par les États-Unis contre les Indiens
l'homme où son vote avait déclenché une véritable temd'A!tiérique ainsi que sur les actes de racisme contre la
pête dans les relations turco-américaines. Le 28 sepcoriitnunauté afro-américaine. Dans une intervention très
remarquée contre les États-Unis, habituellement ménatembre dernier, le Représentant démocrate de Californ!e
Tom Lantos, et son collègue républicain de l'indiania Dàn gé~i~ar les militaires turcs, le chef d'état-major turc avait
Burton, avaient provoqué une manoeuvré diiatoire pour
lui-i~tê.me invité les Américains à se pencher sur leur
reporter le vote du Comité des Relations internationäfe!), prop~~histoire et,s~r les atrocités qu'elle renferme avant
dont l'issue est décisive pour le passage du texte devant
del~ger celle des autres nations. Dans le même temps,
l'ensemble de la Chambre des Représental1ts. Tom
la ~(~sse turque cherche à agiter l'épouvantail du "terroLantos avait accompagné cette manoeuvre d'un discolirs
risrtl~ arménien", régulièrement associé à çelui du' PKK,
dOh't\'
un responsable turc demandait soleniiélièment aux
qui pèsera lourd dans le débat et qui sera considéré
comme une trahison_par les responsable communau-, au*'rités..bulgares, ql,lleJle.sle condar:nnentoffiêiellemeht.,
~iï)si, l'agence de presse turque Anatolie faisait état
taires arméniens engagés dans cette nouvelle bataiile
pour la reconnaissance du génocide de 1915 : immigré jécemment d'un prétendu appel du PKK aux autorités
juif originaire de Hongrie, M. Lantos est lui-même un res- , d~,Arménie pour qu'elles renouvellent leur assistance
Ibgistiq!Je à l'organi$,ationséparatiste kurde, au moment
capé de "holocauste, et c'est à ce titre qu'il s'est exprimé
q~ elle rencontre de grandes difficultés organisationpour récuser la réalité du génocide des Arméniens et
ri~lIes. L'agence de presse turque précisait que Erévan
dénoncer l'opportunité de ce texte législatif qu'il considère
n'aurait pas encore' répondu à cette demande, .mais que
comme un instrument pOlitique entre les mains d'un
dés efforts seraient d'ores et déjà entrepris "en vue de
lobby. Fort du soutien de tels avocats et plus généralement de l'administration américaine qui n'a cessé de , dävelopper les deux bases du PKK en activité sur le terrimanifester son opposition à la résolution, l'État turc a toire arménien".
réitéré s.es allégations désignant le génocide des
En dépit de ces pressions formidables sur leurs colArméniens comme un "simple" épisode de la première
lègues américains, les législateurs italiens seraient déciguerre mondiale et un instrument de propagande du
dés à engager eux aussi une procédure en vue de la
lobby arménien, tout en agitant la menace d'une détérioration des relations turco-américaines et d'un change- ; reconnaissance du génocide des Arméniens, après la
France, dont le Sénat tarde à ratifier le vote d'un texte en
ment de cap de la diplomatie turque en direction de l'Irak
sens par l'Assemb~e nationale le 29 mai 1998. C'est
ou encore de l'Iran: Revenant à la charge lors d'une
ce qu'a annoncé, dans un entretien accordé au journal
conférence à Antalya la semaine dernière, le ministre turc
de la justice, M. Turk, déclarait ainsi que la Turquie devait tûrc Hurriyet, le député italien Giancarlo Paliari, selon
l~quelle texte visant à désigner le 24 avril comme la jourredoubler d'efforts pour faire connaître au monde les atronée du génocide serait débattu au Parlement italien le 24
cités qu'auraient fait subir les Arméniens aux Turcs. C'est
octobre prochain. "Mon épouse est arménienne et sa
dans cette direction également que va travailler le déparfamille est originaire de Kayséri. Sa famille a été décimée
tement sur les relations arméno-turques et sur le génocide arménien (comprendre le génocide perpétré par les, I~rs des massacres perpétrés par les Turcs ottomans en
f915, et a partagé le sort d'un million et demi
Arméniens contre les Turcs) récemment ouvert au sein
d'Arméniens. C'est un génocide" aurait indiqué M. Paliari
de l'université Ataturk d'Erzurum, une ville de l'Anatolie
orientale considérée comme le centre nerveux du natio- au quotidien turc, qui attribue l'engagement du député italien en faveur de la reconnaissance du génocide de.1915
nalisme turc. Le professeur Enver Konukcu, qui dirige le
ii..useul ,fait que son épouse est d'origine arménienne.
département d'histoire des sciences et de littérature de
cette université, indiquait ainsi que le génocide avait lais- ' @urriyet cite néanmoins les 'propos de M. Paliari, qui
appelle la Turquie à reconnaître elle aussi le génocide,
sé dans l'Est de la Turquie des séquelles qui ne pourront
Bour se ménager un "avenir brillant" dans la famille euroêtre effacées. "II n'y a pas un seul village dans cette
péenne.
région qui n'ait été le théâtre 'd'un massacre" a-t-il indi-
ce
14
Turkish police arrest 6 for sending Kurdlsh-language Invitatioa
Reuters - October 4, 2000
DJYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish police have arrested six teachers for sending out Kurdishlanguage Invitations to a meeting in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast, a police officiai said on
Wednesday. Turkey is under pressure to ease its tight restrictions on Kurdish linguistic and cultural
rights after being accepted as a candidate for European Union membership late last year.
But many here oppose such moves, fearing they could fuel nationalism and pave the way for a separate Kurdish state. Some 12 million of Turkey's population are Kurds.
Police in the regional capital Diyarbakir arrested the teachers, senior members of a teaching union, on
Tuesday, and found documents praising the activities of Kurdish separatist guerrillas at the house of
one, the police official said.
The teachers were arrested because they had sent out invitations for a celebration of World Teachers
Day on October 5 written in both Turkish and Kurdish, he said .
•Publishing and distributing invitations in Kurdish is a crime under the law,. he said.
Turkey declared victory last year in its 15-year fight against Kurdish rebels after capturing their \eader,
Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan was sentenced to hang for leading an armed campaign for Kurdish self-rule
that claimed over 30,000 lives and is now appealing the verdict.
.
He later ordered his followers to withdraw from Turkey and transform themselves Into a political force
in order to win cultural rights for the country's 12 million Kurds.
Turkey rejects the new rebel policy as a cynical ploy designed to save Ocalan from the gallows and has
vowed never to negotiate with the guerrillas.
*****.
Saddam .. ys he has ability to limit' Israel
Associated Press October S, 2000
BAGHDAD: Despite crippling U.N. trade sanctions, Iraq has the potential to quickly restrain Israel if its
Arab neighbors give It territory from which to mount operations against the Jewish state, President
Saddam Hussein said in remarks published Wednesday .
•Let them (Israel's neighbors) give us a small piece of land adjacent to (Israel) ... and they will see how
we will quickly shut down Zionism,. Baghdad's newspapers quoted the Iraqi leader as saying.
,;addam was reacting to the latest violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip where Israeli forces have
;Iashed with Palestinian civilians and gunmen over the past week.
'''he fighting, which has left scores dead and more than 1,000 wounded, broke out aner an Israeli hard'lne leader, Ariel Sharon, visited one of Jerusalem's most hotly contested sites, which is revered by
~w1uslimsand Jews. The vast majority of casualties have been Palestinian.
I\rab leaders, Saddam said, should be ashamed of themselves for standing back as Israeli "vagabonds.
Jutcher "our children and humiliate our women." The Arabs, he added, have had enough and It is time
or their leaders to .put an end to Zionism .... and if they cannot, Iraq has the capability to do it alone."
My (Arab) brothers, you will see what terrible cowards the (Israelis) are."
f'hroughout history, Saddam added, the Jews have never shown valor or courage. "They have spent
'heir life In dark comers, bent on collecting money." If the Israelis seem brave, he said, It Is because "the
\rab swords have rusted in their sheaths." During the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait, Saddam hit Israel with
l8l1istic missiles. Iraqis formally In a state of war with Israel and has sent troops to fight along Arab
tnTlies In wars against the Jewish state over the past 50 years.
raq's military capabilities, however, have been significantly curtailed by sweeping U.N. sanctions impo;ed to punish the country for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
15
'. Who statted the PKK-PUK war?
.'Kurdish
Media - 5 Oct 2000
---.---~.~-- ~
.ßy Ahmad BalTiararü
This article gives an account of the roots of PKK-PUK war arid is a reply to the article by Cerdo Bimekir
which was published on a pr~vious issue.
Since at least 1.997 PKK forces were stationed in the KOP regions and the Qandil mountain on the
Iranian border. From the end of this spring the PKK started to bring their forces to the PUK areas. The
PUK said from almost the begiriing of this year that my sitation does not allow me for the PKK troops to
stay in the PUK region. Suddenly and within two days the PKK brought its forces in three directions:
1) from Qandil mountain. Those who know this region can tell you that if the Iranians did not shutthere
eyes, this force could not attack the PUK peshmargas.
2) the second group comes from Qasre which is under the control of KOP.
3) The third group comes from Kirkuk and by Iraqi military trucks till Qadir Kerem ..
For your informations the PKKhas three military bases in Iraq: In Shekhan; in Ayen Zela and the third
one near Makhmor. These bases are inside the Iraqi military bases and one member of the PKK presiden~ial couricÎl is responsable for all these PKK forces in Iraq. The PKK commander and other PKK men
meet regularly with Iraqi Intelligence services.
This force of 4D guerrila come to Gar-dakh region which is 100 Km on the south of Sulamania and about
300 Km from tUrkish borders. PUK said and is still saying that if PKK forces go back and stay in their
pl~ces as before Iwill never go and attàck them. But their presence in our region is bringing us big problems. So it is not a conspiracy and not the demand of Clinton as Cardo argues nor the turkish demand
for the simple reason that the presence of PKK forces in Iraqi Kurdistan serves the Turkish aimes and
goals today.
The truth is that they don't want PKK forces to be eliminated or to leave there, they use that as a pretext to let their military forces to stay in Kurdistan in other hand to use the PKK forces as a chantage
against the political class and democratic development inside Turkey. The war betwan the diffrent kurdish fractipns is "'arming the kurdish .people and we are the victims and our enemey is watching it with
pleasure. What Cardo wrote is putting oil on fire and not the opposite. Kurdish Intellectuals should play
their role to put an end to the war in which only the kurds are killed. The role of Kurdish intellectuallls is
mediation in war and not encouaraging war. (Edited by KM)
******
Iraqi Kurdish leader allays Ankara's fears on Kurd independence
AFP - 5 Oct 2000
ANKARA, Oct 5 (AFP) - 14h06 - The leader of a northem Iraqi Kurdish faction on Thursday tried to allay.
Turkey's fears over an independent Kurdish state in the western-protected enclave that remains outside Baghdad's control.
"We underlined the unity. and integrity of Iraq and that the Kurdish issue should be resolved within a uni~
téd. Iraq," Massoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told reporters here after
meeting Turldsh diplomats.
"Wè also underlined that. all minorities in Iraq should reach thei~ aims and rights within a united Ira.q,"
B~r:zani said through an interpreter. Turkey has previously expressed concem that US efforts to uri~~
KQP and its arch-rival in the region; Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), against Iraqi'
President Saddam H,ussein could lead to the establishment of an independent Kurdish state neighbouring its border .. "
.
.
.
'.
.
.
Ankara fears that such a state could spur its own separatist Ku~ds, namely, the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) which took ùp'arms against Turkey in 1984 for Kurdish s,elf-rule in southeastern Anatolia.
16
Much to the criticism of Baghdad, Turkey's military frequently mounts operations against PKK rebel
camps inside northern Iraq, which has been outside Iraqi control since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
Barzani's fighters often lend support to Turkish troops in their pursuit of PKK rebels inside northern Iraq.
The undersecretary of the Turkish foreign ministry, Faruk Logoglu, told reporters after the meeting that
both sides were 'unanimous' on continuing the struggle against the PKK. "The struggle against the PKK
will continue until the PKK problem has been eliminated,' Logoglu said.
He also confirmed that Turkey paid compensation to the victims of a Turkish air strike against the PKK
in northem Iraq in August, which local Kurdish factions said claimed dozens of civilian lives.
The PKK said in September 1999 that it would stop fighting against Ankara and withdraw outside Turkey
to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict which has claimed some 36,500 lives according to official
figures. But the powerful Turkish army has brushed aside the peace pledges as a 'ploy" and has vowed
to hunt down the "terrorists", the majority of whom it says are sheltering in northern Iraq .
••••••
Ankara's Decision To Improve Turkey's Relations With Iraq Reported
Milliyet 07 Oct 00 P 12 by Barcin Vinanc
Ankara--Considering that the embargo on Iraq has been violated by many countries, particularly
Russia and France, Turkey has decided to improve its relations with Baghdad. The first step it plans
to take is to open another border gate for railway services between the two countries.
However, the
most important project Ankara has in mind is the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Turkey
and Iraq.
A meeting attended by high-ranking officials at the Foreign Ministry last week discussed Turkey's
policy toward Iraq, which has been on the Foreign Ministry's agenda during the past six months and
which gained importance in the light of the Armenian draft resolution in the United States. Amb. Selim
Karaosmanoglu, Turkey's charge d'Affaires in Baghdad, participated in the convocation, which was
chaired by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. The participants agreed that Ankara's policy of establishing
closer relations with Baghdad should be stepped up but it should not be linked to the Armenian draft
resolution. Attention was drawn to the possibility that the Saddam Administration might try to exploit
Turkey's approach if it is linked to the draft resolution.
Meanwhile, the visit of many businessmen to Baghdad in November will be a sign of Turkey's decision to change its policy towards Iraq. Turkey will participate in the Baghdad International Fair with a
large group of businessmen for the first time in many years. Minister of State Tunea Toskay, who is
responsible for the economy, and Under Secretary of Foreign Trade Kursat Tuzmen will visit the international fair in which 100 Turkish firms will participate.
One of the two most important projects between Ankara and Baghdad is related to the improvement
of transportation between the two countries. Turkey proposed in 1996 that a second border gate should
be opened between the two sides. The Iraqi Govemment agreed to the proposal last summer.
It has
been ascertained that work is underway to establish the infrastructure that is required for the second
border gate, which will be 17 km to the west of the Habur border gate.
The second project is related to the exploitation of Iraq's untouched natural gas resources and the
transfer of the extracted gas to Turkey. The two sides signed a protocol early in 2000 for the joint extraction and shipment of natural gas by a Turkish and Iraqi consortium. According to the protocol, the two
countries will transfer natural gas to Europe in the future.
******
Syrian plane lands in Baghdad for first time in 20 years
8 Oct 2000 Agence France-Presse
BAGHDAD, Oct 8 (AFP) - A Syrian flew into the Iraqi capital on Sunday for the first time in 20 years,
as part of a campaign of solidarity flights against a decade-old UN air embargo, the official newsagency INA reported.
A 34-member delegation led by Mohammed Mufdi Saifo, the Syrian minister of state
for cabinet affairs, touched down at Saddam Intemational Airport carrying food, medicine and team of
doctors.
The flight 'shows the total support of the Syrian people for the Iraqi people to ease their sufferings caused by the embargo,' said Saito.
The delegation also visited Saddam central children's
17
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevokn Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
-
hospital and observed "thé suffering hospitalized children endure because of the unjust embargo impos~d on the Iraqi people," Saifo said.
Iraqi Commerce Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh, at the head
of a welcoming party, said it was "another positive step (in the rapprochement) between the two coun-trie-s .~andiör-the-strengthening
of-bi!ate~alre!ations.~
-- _ _ _ _ __ _
_
The delegation left for Damascus later Sunday on the Syrian Airlines Airbus.
The initiative followed
a call by President Bashar ai-Assad on October 2 for Arab countries to wor!<for a lifting of UN sanctions
on Iraq, imposed after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Despite a break in diplomatic relations in 1980 over
Syria's backing for Iran in its war with Iraq, Damascus and Baghdad have been slowly normalizing ties
since 1997, focusing on trade.
SiX other Arab countries - Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen -have sent planes into Iraq since September 27 and Lebanon plans to follow suit, following flightsfrom
Russia and France.
Paris and Moscow say the air embargo on Iraq as part of the sanctions regime
do~s not cover private non-commercial flights, while Washington and London insist all flights must be
approved by the UN sanctions committee.
Also challenging the air embargo, tWo Turkish planes were
expected in Baghdad on Monday, information ministry sources in Baghdad said.
A Turkish airline, Arkas Air, has said a Turkish humanitarian flight was scheduled on Monday and the
chamber of commerce in the southeastem Turkish town of Gaziantep has requested permission for a
flight of its own.
The Turkish foreign ministry said last week that it was also likely to give the go-ahead
for a businessman to charter a flight to the Iraqi capital.
Turkey, meanwhile, has threatened not to renew a mandate for US planes using a Turkish base to patrol
northem Iraq if the US Congress passes a bill declaring the Ottoman Empire committed genocide
against the Armenians.
******
Turkoman Leader Seeks Ankara Support for Inclusion Into N Iraq Solution
Anatolia 09 Oct 00
Ankara (AA) - Riyaz Satikahya, member of the administrative council of the Iraqi Turkoman Front
and leader of the Turkmeneli Party, has said that a solution that does not include the Turkomans in north
Iraq cannot be accepted, adding that Ankara should extend more support to the Turkomans.
Speaking at a news conference at the Turkish representation of the Turkoman Front, Sarikahya
explained the Turkomans' assessment of the recent situation and the developments in the region.
Pointing out that he felt the need to stop over in Ankara on his way back from his contacts in the
United States, Sarikahya said that the Iraqi opposition is in the process of getting reorganized and that
they have observed that the US support to the opposition has increased.
He continued:
"The
Turkomans should take their place within this new structuring and Ankara should exert efforts to that
end." Sarikahya said that he requested a meeting from the Foreign Ministry and that he will be meeting
with Turkish officials when he receives a reply.
Support for Flights to Iraq
Criticizing the Baghdad administration because of its .oppressive policies,. Sarikahya added that,
on the other hand, he supports the humanitarian flights being organized to Iraq.
Pointing out that the Iraqi regime and the people should be viewed Separately, Sarikahya further rapped the Baghdad administr~tion for canceling the Turkoman programs that were being broadcast by the
IraqI television via sateUit~. Sarikahya said: "The administration is resorting to insidious methods to
pit the Turkomans against the KUrds who have, for years, been coexisting in brotherhood in north Iraq .•
He concluded by saying that the Turkoman people are being subjected to inhuman treatment.
18
Turkish Plane Lands In Baghdad
Associated Press 9 Oct 2000
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) 6 Turkey on Monday became the ninth country to send a token humanitarian flight
to Baghdad, the latest in what has become an almost daily show of support for Iraq.
The flight, which received clearance from the United Nations, came three weeks after France and
Russia first challenged 10 years of U.N. sanctions on Iraq, flying planes to Baghdad without authorization from the U.N. sanctions committee.
The Turkish aircraft landed at Baghdad's Saddam Intemational Airport on Monday moming. It carried
former Turkish member of parliament Lutfi Akdogan and four doctors as well as medical and humanitarian supplies. "Sanctions are illegal and the Turkish people support the lifting of sanctions," Akdogan
said upon arrival. "Turkey has no problems with Iraq. They have strong historical ties .... Iraq's problems are with the United Nations."
The plane was met by Iraqi govemment officials and representatives of the Turkish Embassy in
Baghdad. U.N. officials inspected the cargo, a routine procedure applied to every flight to Iraq, U.N. spokesman George Somerwill told The Associated Press.
A Turkish official said a second Turkish plane
cal supplies. In the past few weeks, Jordan,
Algeria all have sent flights to Iraq, each with
announced plans to send planes to Baghdad
will fly to Iraq on Tuesday carrying five doctors and mediMorocco, Tunisia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and
U.N. approval. Egyptian and Lebanese groups also have
in coming days.
Iraq and Turkey have had their differences: Turkey plays host to U.S. and British warplanes that patrol
a no-fly zone over northem Iraq. Baghdad also criticizes Turkey for restricting the flow of.the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers into Iraq and for mounting military pursuits of Turkish Kurd secessionists in northem
Iraq. But the two countries signed an agreement in February meant to help them enlarge the scope of
bilateral trade. They want to reach and even surpass the annual $2.5 billion in bilateral trade they
enjoyed prior to U.N. sanctions.
The sanctions against Iraq were imposed in 1990 to punish the country for its invasion of Kuwait, and
they can only be lifted after Iraq proves that it has destroyed all of its weapons of mass destruction and
the capability to manufacture them. Baghdad says it has complied, but it refuses to cooperate with U.N.
arms inspectors.
Iraq considers the recent flights a sign that the era of sanctions is crumbling. But the U.N. sanctions
committee chairman, Dutch U.N. ambassador Peter van Walsum, has said Baghdad would be making
a "tragic mistake" if it thinks sanctions will disappear without Iraqi officials allowing weapons inspections to resume.
******
Soccer Violence Along Iraq Border
AP 9 October 2000
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Soccer fans bumed cars and looted shops and offices near the Turkish border
in Iraq after being attacked by fans of a rival team, an official said Monday.
No serious injuries were reported. But the riots prompted Turkey to temporarily bar Turkish trucks from
crossing into the Kurdish-controlled enclave. Scores of Turkishtrucks cross the border daily to carry
back diesel fuel, a trade that is illegal but overlooked by officials.
Zakhu fans, apparently not satisfied with a local official's promise to take action against rival Duhok fans,
went on a rampage near the border crossing with Turkey on Sunday, setting cars ablaze, firing automatic rifles and looting several stores and offices.
Safeen Dizayee, representative of one of the two Kurdish factions that run the autonomous enclave,
said the riots erupted after Dahuk fans beat up several Zakhu fans Friday following a brawl between
players from the two teams.
At least 15 people were injured in that fighting and police arrested 20 people. "It was pure (soccer) hooliganism," Dizayee said, adding that calm had been restored.
19
Northern Iraq has been plagued by clashes between two Kurdish factions jockeying for control of the
zone since it was set up by the Western allies in 1991 after Iraqi troops put down a Kurdish revolt.
******
Northern Iraq has become oil rich
Tu rkish Daily News October 11, 2000
by Mehmet Ali Birand
You don't have to go back too far, just four or five years, to see that relations between Turkey and Iraq
have always been always strained. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) separatist terrorist training
camps led to frequent incursions by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the actions of agents beloriging to the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the Rapid Reaction Force as well, as their presence in the region inevitably led to mutual friction. The PKK lay at the bottom of all these issues.
Whenever the two northern Iraqi leadel'S, Jal~l Taiabanl (of ~he PatriotiC Union of Kurdistan [PUl<]) and'
M~ssoud Barzani (of the Kurdistan Democratic Party [KDP]), came to Ankara, they would always give
.tension-filled speeëhes, make accusations at each other and then go home again .
. This situation has changed completely over the last two years.
On the one hand, Turkey has learned how to control the situation; it has increased its self-confidence
arid recognized the northern Iraqi Kurdish leaders. It understood the problems.
This was followed by the capture of Abdullah Ocalan, a very significant event, and his subsequent call
for disarmament. This had the effect of altering the topics to be discussed whenever the two leaders talked with Turkey. Thus the latest talks held by Talabani and Barzani in Ankara. have taken place in an
atmosphere that is justso relaxed and so different.
.Even though Talabani's talks have nevertheless turned to the subject of the PKK, (like the clashes between the 2,000 or so members of the PKK and the PUK, which have ended in a ceasefire), the principle debate was always over how to, develop relations.
Almost all of Talabani's visit last week was devoted to non-PKK issues.
Gulf War helped America and Kurds
The situation today no longer gives rise to problems since the principle causes of tension have been '
dealt with. For example, the presence of the TSK and other security forces in northern Iraq has been
limited to manning observation towers the entire length of the border. Apart from liaison offices in the
major urban centers, there is no sign of any personnel. No operations have been conducted along the
border for a long time now. This being the situation, emphasis is being put on economic relations and
preserving the existence of the Turkmen.
Those who are familiar with the northern Iraq of 10 years ago and the situation today are biting their
. tongues. You could not have imagined such a change in situation,such a change in fortune or the
restructuring.
.
You can say that relatively speaking northern Iraq is "oil rich."
If you compare the situation today with that of five or six years ago, the truth of this statement becomes
readily apparent. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, northern Iraq was in ruin. Misery was rife. Baghdad
had cut oft the taps and there was no longer any source of income. They only managed to get by living
oft the protection money (in modern parlance -- t8)(es) extorted out of the drivers crossing the Habur
border with Turkey.
Also, look ,around you now.
The northern Iraq region (home of the PUK and KDP) has a population of 4 million and receives $1.5
billion every year from the United Nations. In fact, the United Nations doesn't give the money directly.
Some 13 percent of the oil exported by Iraq is siphoned oft and given to the Kurdish leadership. When
this practice Was put into effect, the Kurds began pulling in $500 million as the price of oil was $10 a
barrel.
20
If you add the income from border crossings at Habur and into Iran, you can come to a figure showing
the Kurdish leadership (PUK and KDP) receiving approximately $3 billion a year. This amounts to an
income of about $1,000 per person, give or take.
It was in this relaxed atmosphere that Barzani pursued his contacts in Ankara. In retuming the favor,
Barzani invited Turkey to take a piece of the pie. There is still $700 million to be spent from U.N. funds.
This money can only be put aside for essential investment projects like electricity, water, roads and
communications.
Barzani pointed this out.
"Why should European firms win all this?" he said. "Vou should come along and take control of these
investment projects. Then, you will get that money." This is a great development. The region is seeing
stability and tranquility move in as well as the start of an economic enlivenment. And Turkey is starting
to play an important economic role in a region It had once viewed through military operations only.
Where to now?
Vou see, it's not always bad news ...
******
DEVLET BAHÇELI, TURKEY'S
LATEST POLITICAL
PIVOT
Oct 12th 2000 The Economist by Amberin Zaman
THE Turks are going through one of their bouts of feeling lonely and unloved, despite their govemmentis proclaimed enthusiasm for doing everything It can to modemise the country and tug It westwards, with a view to joining, one day, the European Union. It is bad enough, most Turks feel, to be
constantly nagged by high-minded Europeans into being soft on disaffected Kurds and on Islamists seeking to overthrow Turkeyrs secular order. And it is ghastly to be harangued by lobby groups around the
world for massacring rebellious Armenians some 85 years ago in the last days of the Ottoman empire.
At least the Americans have usually been understanding allies. But now even they have succumbed to
Turkophobia, or so It seems, by letting the House of Representativesr Foreign Affairs Committee pass
a resolution condemning Turkey for 1genocidef against the Armenians.
Turkish leader:shave howled with rage. The left-of-centre prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, has fumed. The
head of the army has cancelled a trip to Washington6after excoriating the Americans for their own dirty
past. The Americans, it is widely said, should be frozen out of future arms deals. Tansu Ciller, a former
prime minister and now leader of the conservative opposition, has suggested that the Incirlik air base,
from which American aircraft monitor northem Iraq, should be shut down 1for repairsT. For good measure, some 30,000 Armenians working in Turkey should, she adds, be kicked out.
But the one Turkish politician who would once have led a chorus of xenophobic fury has kept almost
silent: Devlet Bahceli. What is the leader of Turkeyrs far-right National Action Party, who is a deputy
prime minister in the ruling coalition, up to?
The short answer is that he is trying to reinvent himself, in style at any rate, in the hope that he will one
day be Turkeyrs prime minister. And at the present rate that idea, preposterous not so many years ago,
can no longer be laughed out of court.
His main tactic, plainly, is to shift his party towards the middle ground and make himself more acceptable to middle-class Turks, while continuing to curry favour with the generals, who still have the last
word on many big matters. Only three years ago, they squeezed the countryrs first Islamist govemment
out of power because they thought it threatened to overtum the legacy of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of
Turkeyrs secular state. Playing his new moderate hand, Mr Bahceli has happily broken old promises by
agreeing, among other things, that the death sentence against the rabel Kurdsr captured leader,
Abdullah Ocalan, should be suspended. But to please the generals, he reversed his Islamic-vota-seaking opinion on the controversial ban on Islamic headscarves in govemment schools and state offices
by saying It should be kept. The result of Mr Bahcelirs recent flexibility is that the odd-looking coalition
of centra-left and far right, which took office two years ago, has been much more stable than expected.
It is an extraordinary turnabout. For the party Mr Bahceli took over three years ago had been best
known for its record of thuggery and violence. In the 19708 its vigilantes, known as the Grey Wolves,
waged street battles, in which thousands died, against left-wing students. This led to the generalsr last
21
actual coup, in 1980.Before Mr Bahcell took over, many people in his party were suspected of killing
Kurdish dissidents and of extortion rackets.
-Toâäy;-Mr-Sa:n-ceiiis -Nationaiisti:dlave-become, in-many-eyes, -almost-respéetab!s;-!n the old-days, the
generals saw them as unsavoury rivals. Npw they may look to Mr Bahceli as a potential ally through
whom to air their disapproval, especially of the measures the EU keeps pressing6a modicum of respect for human rights, no soldiers in politics6before membership negotiations can begin.
But can Mr Bahceli please everyone at once6the generals, the Islamists, the old nationalist right, businessmen, the young, economic Iiberàls? That is what he is trying to d06so far, with notable success.
Now 52, he was bom hito a prosperous farming cian in the sol:rth, and honoured by his patriotic parents
with a first name that means lStatei. He was educated at a smart boarding school for boys in Istanbul
bâfore studying economics at a university in Ankara. Contemporaries found him studious and stonyfaced. He was rarely seen out of a suit.
It was then that he fell under the spell of an arch-nationalist colonel and failed coup..,plotter, Alparslan
Turkes, who founded the Nationalist Action Party to lsave Turkey from filthy communistsi. Mr Bahcelifs
on~ recorded link to violence was in 1978, when he lent his car to some Grey Wolves who were then
caught with a cache of guns hidden under some tangerines; Mr Bahceli said he knew nothing of their
plans. Two of those arrested now represent his party in parliament.
Since taking over the party after Mr Turkes died three years ago, Mr Bahceli has got rid of many of its
seedier elements. Its racist and pan- Turkic slogans have been toned down. But, however mild Mr
Bahceliis style, the partyis electoral success has been due to its fierce nationalism, especially towards
the Kurds. It has also benefited from the sympathy it gained from Islamists. Corruption in the mainstream parties has helped the Nationalists too: Mr Bahceli is an ascetic.
He still sounds a nationalist note on such issues as the divided island of Cyprus, vehemently resisting
concessions to the Greeks. But then Mr Ecevit, and most other Turks, are obdurate on that score too.
Diplomats from EU countries grumble that Turkey has done little, of late, to improve its human-rights
behaviour, but few blame Mr Bahceli. Indeed, several think that, by muting the far right, he has stopped
the expected hostility to interference by Brussels (as many Turks see it) from being much uglier.
Mr Bahceliis makeover has certainly, in the short run, helped keep Turkey calm. Still, his political antecedents are indubitably nasty. He is famously a very private man. He rarely, for instance, talks to the
press. But what he really thinks about such things as democracy or torturing Turkeyis enemies is still
an almighty guess.
******
Kurdish Assembly Sends Message to Palestinian Leader
Brayati (Arbil) 12 Oct 00
To the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasir Arafat; the Speaker of the Palestinian
Legislative Council:
Warm greetings 'from Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly. We would like to convey the feelings of the
Iraqi Kurdistan people regarding the persistent pain, injustice, oppression, division and separation caused to the Palestinian people. They are deprived of their right to live freely on their land. Palestinians
and Kurds are similar as regards religion, humanity and just cause. They, also, suffer the same pain and
have the stance. and they need each other. The situation of Palestinian people affects the situation of
Kurdish people and opens old and new wounds. For thereasons mentioned abOve, the Iraqi Kurdistan
National Assembly allocated a part of its eighth sessions of the second term on 10th October 2000 for
discussing the circumstances, the struggle and the just cause. of the Palestini~n people. At this session.,
the Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly annoqnced its .support to the just struggie of the Palestinian
people and recognized their rights in regaining their homeland and establishing their independent state
:' ion their
all
larid. We hope, that they would achieve a jJà.àe:efl.i1
and j~st solution. We strongly condemn
,oppressive acts againstpalestinians
and pray to God to help the.m achieve thé aims of their struggle
eind make them victorious.
.
.. ' [Signed] Dr Roz Nuri Shawes, Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly, Arbil, 10th October
2000
.
22
La Cour des droits de l'Homme condamne
Ankara pour tortures
-
-
STRASBOURG (Conseil Europe), 10 oct (AFP) - 18h02- La Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme a condamné mardi la Turquie pour
"violation du droit à la vie" d'un enseignant d'origine kurde, tué en 1993, et "torture" à l'encontre de son épouse qui avait porté
l'affaire devant la juridiction de Strasbourg.
La requérante, Nebahat Akkoc, dénonçait le meurtre de son mari, Zubeyir Akkoc, un professeur d'origine kurde, engagé dans des
activités syndicales, abattu le 13 janvier 1993 par un ou des auteurs inconnus. Elle déplorait aussi l'absence d'enquête effective sur
les circonstances de cette mort.
Mme Akkoc, arrêtée en février 1994, se plaignait également d'actes de tortures commis pendant les dix jours de sa détention et des
intimidations subies lorsqu'elle avait déposé sa requête devant la Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme, le 1er novembre 1993.
Les juges européens ont alloué à la requérante la somme de 35.000 livres sterling (59.049 euros) pour dommage matériel, de 40.000
livres (67.485 euros) pour préjudice moral ainsi que 13.648,80 livres (23.027 euros) au titre des frais et dépens.
La requérante, résidant à Adana, a assuré avoir été dévêtue, frappée, soumise à des chocs électriques, plongée dans de l'eau glacée
puis dans de l'eau bouillante, et avoir été exposée à une forte musique ainsi qu'à de violentes lumières.
La Cour européenne, qui a reconnu les actes de torture, a également jugé que les autorités n'avaient pas mené d'enquête efficace sur les
circonstances du meurtre de M. Akkoc, lequel n'avait pas bénéficié d'une protection suffisante compte-tenu des risques inhérents à ses
activités syndicales.
Dans son jugement, la Cour, tout en soulignant qu'il n'avait pas été établi qu'un agent de l'Etat ait été impliqué dans le meurtre de M.
Akkoc, relève toutefois la tendance des autorités turques à imputer la responsabilité de la violence politique au Parti des
travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).
Les juges notent ainsi "certaines caractéristiques dans l'application du droit pénal aux actes illégaux prétendûment
participation des forces de l'ordre au cours de la période considérée dans le sud-est de la Turquie".
commis avec la
Les juges européens ont ainsi souligné que les conseils administratifs, chargés d'ouvrir des poursuites pénales lorsqu'une infraction est
commise par un agent de l'Etat dans certaines circonstances, ne "garantissaient pas une procédure indépendante et efficace d'enquête
sur des décès impliquant des agents de force de l'ordre".
Dans le cadre d'affaires concernant des événements similaires survenus dans la même région à cette époque, les juges relèvent que le
procureur omettait "d'instruire les plaintes de personnes affirmant l'implication des forces de l'ordre dans des actes illégaux et
avait attribué la responsabilité des incidents au Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) sur la base de preuves minimes".
Dans une seconde affaire, Ankara a également été condamné mardi pour torture. Dix requérants, des prisonniers turcs, se plaignaient
d'avoir été frappés par des gendarmes, pour avoir refusé une fouille avant d'être conduits au tribunal.
Une délégation de trois juges de la Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme s'est d'autre part rendue en Turquie lundi pour procéder à
l'audition, jusqu'à jeudi, de témoins dans le cadre de deux affaires similaires à l'affaire Akkoc.
Sept rebelles du PKK tués par l'armée dans
le sud-est, selon les autorités
-
-
DIYARBAKIR (Turquie), Il oct (AFP) - 9h56 - Sept rebelles kurdes du Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) ont été tués et
trois soldats turcs blessés lors d'un affrontement dans la province de Simak frontalière avec l'Irak et la Syrie, a annoncé l'autorité
chargée de l'état d'urgence à Diyarbakir.
Le communiqué ne précise pas quand l'affrontement a eu lieu.
Les affrontements dans l'est et le sud-est ont considérablement diminué depuis que le PKK a annoncé en septembre 1999 qu'il mettait
fin à ses quinze ans de lutte armée pour la création d'un Etat kurde indépendant, répondant à l'appel de son chef Abdullah Ocalan,
condamné à mort en juin de la même année pour trahison et séparatisme.
Mais l'armée turque a promis de lutter contre les rebelles jusqu'à ce qu'ils se rendent, estimant que leur annonce d'un arrêt des combats
était une manoeuvre.
Quelque 36.500 personnes ont été tuées en quinze ans dans les violences entourant la rébellion du PKK, selon un bilan officiel.
23
--
Des artistes turcs établissent un "pont culturel"
avec le sud-est kurde
~.:=
-
ISTANBUL,l1 oct (AFP) -13h17 - Soixante dix artistes turcs vont établir durant quatre jours à partir de samedi un "pont culturel"
inédit entre Istanbul, capitale culturelle du pays, et Hakkari, une ville kurde déshéritée vivant encore sous état d'urgence dans
l'extrême sud-est.
Cette idée revient à un journaliste et directeur de programmation
cette province reculée par le ministère de la Culture.
de festivals, Vecdi Sayar, envoyé l'an dernier en mission dans
"En dix jours sur place, j'ai pu constater que cette ville n'avait rien, mais aussi que le gouvernement
ce soit", a-t-il expliqué à l'AFP.
était incapable d'y faire quoi que
M. Sayar s'est alors promis d'y organiser la plus importante manifestation culturelle jamais vue dans la région, dont le revenu
annuel par habitant est quatre fois moindre que dans l'ouest du pays, et dont plusieurs provinces, comme Hakkari, vivent sous état
d'urgence depuis 1987.
Cette initiative est entièrement financée par les artistes eux-mêmes, en représentation
séjour et le matériel qu'ils y laisseront.
actuellement à Istanbul pour payer leur
70 comédiens, écrivains, photographes, peintres, chanteurs et journalistes se produiront ainsi gratuitement du 13 au 17 octobre dans
cette ville proche des frontières irakienne et irakienne, et tiendront plusieurs ateliers avec des artistes locaux.
Une bibliothèque de quelque 3.000 ouvrages sera offerte à la population locale, et des bourses seront proposées par des fondations et
universités stambouliotes.
Cette manifestation sera l'occasion pour certains chanteurs de s'exprimer en langue kurde, car "la liberté d'expression est encore loin
d'être totale" dans le sud-est du pays, a estimé M. Sayar.
La pratique du kurdé, tolérée depuis quelques années en Turquie, est l'une des revendications des partis pro-kurdes, qui réclament
l'autorisation de médias audio-visuels et l'enseignement dans cette langue non officielle.
La Turquie sort de quinze ans de rébellion séparatiste du Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan, qui a annoncé la fin de la lutte armée
en septembre 1999. Le conflit a fait quelques 36.500 morts.
Réouverture d'un bureau de défense des droits
de l'Homme à Diyarbakir
--
~.:=
-
DIYARBAKIR (Turquie), 11 oct (AFP) -12h49 - Le bureau de la principale organisation turque de défense des droits de l'Homme
(IHD) à Diyarbakir, capitale du sud-est à majorité kurde, a été rouvert mercredi sur décision des autorités après deux mois de
fermeture, a-t-on appris auprès de l'IHD.
"Notre bureau fermé pendant trois mois par les autorités a été rouvert ce jour, un mois avant la date initiale prévue, sur autorisation
du gouvernorat de Diyarbakir", précise un communiqué du représentant de l'IHD à Diyarbakir, Osman Baydemir.
Ce bureau avait été fermé en août en raison d'un "danger pour la séCl1rité publique", selon les autorités de la région de l'état
d'urgence.
M. Baydemir s'est félicité de la décision des autorités locales.
L'IHD avait ouvert un bureau à Diyarbakir en 1987, trois ans après le début de la lutte armée du Parti des Travailleurs du
Kurdistan (PKK) pour obtenir la création d'un Etat kurde; et a fait depuis l'objet de plusieurs décisions de fermeture.
La Turquie a déclaré l'état d'urgence dans la plupart des provinces du sud-est eh 1987 et a adopté une loi spéciale conférant de larges
pouvoirs aux autorités chargées de l'appliquer, y compris le droit de fermer des associations.
Ce régime existe toujours dans quatre provinces sous la tutelle de la superpréfecture
Les combats ont pratiquement
24
de Diyarbakir.
cessé dans le sud-est depuis que le PKK a annoncé en septembre 1999l'abandon de la lutte armée.
~l
LE MONDE I MERCREDI11
OCTOBRE 2000
La « question kurde )},entre réforme et statu quo
Un an et demi après l'arrestation du chef du PKK,Abdullah Öcalan, la revue « Confluences
Méditerranée» constate que le pouvoir turc « multiplie des signaux contradictoires»
envers les Kurdes
le XVI' et le début du XIX', une
grande autonomie aux provinces
kurdes. Particulièrement éclairante, l'analyse de Nicolas Monceau,
consacrée
au traitement
de la
« question kurde,. à travers le cinéma en dit long sur les contradictions dont est pétrie la société turque d'aujourd'hui.
Ainsi le film
Voyage vers le soleil de la réalisatrice Yesim Ustaoglu - qui narre
l'amitié tragique de deux jeunes
hommes, l'un Turc, l'autre Kurde - va connaître un accueil mitigé
à sa sortie dans le pays, en 1999:
« Présenté en avril 1999 auxfestivals
DIX-HUIT MOIS après l'arrestation d'Abdullah ÖCalan, le chef <,iu
Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan
(PKK), où en est la « question kurde" en Turquie? C'est le thème
abordé par la revue trimestrielle
Confluences Méditerranée dans son
numéro de l'été 2000.
«Rien n'a substantiellement changé » depuis la capture du chef de la
rébellion armée, constate l'UlÙversitaire Gillistan Gurbey, dans un article intitulé « Le pouvoir turc multiplie les signaux contradictoires ».
Le gouvernement
de la Turquie,
déplore l'auteur, coincé « entre une
politique d'annonce de réformes et
le maintien du statu quo» n'a pas
réussi « à définir une nouvelle politique kurde ».
quante à soixante exécutions juste
avant le congrès de 1986 (...). Il n'y
avait plus de place pour les enterrer / Certains étaient de simples militants, des KUrdes du Liban accusés
d'être des "agents", coupables "de
ne pas exécuter les ordres" (...). L'objectif d'Ocalan était de montrer sa
force, defaire peur.»
Surtout, explique-t-il,la perspective de voir le PKK se transformer
en une force politique légale est
jugée «encore plus dangereuse»
que la stratégie de la violence longtemps prônée par cette organisation. Le renoncement
à la lutte
armée et les appels à.la paix du
chef kurde un peu avant sa condamnation à mort, en juin 1999, ne
semblent guère avoir été entendus.
Il faut dire que «le système OcaIan» tel qu'il est décrit par un
autre auteur, Chris Kutschera, jette
le doute sur la capacité du PKK à se
muer en une force politique ordinaire.
Le journaliste, qui a approché de
près les structures internes de ce
parti, donne à voir « une longue his-
UN FILM CONTROVERSé
Loin d'ÖCalan et de sa revendication d'un Etat kurde, Kendal
Nezan retrace, dans une excellente
étude, l'histoire de la constitution
du nationalisme identitaire chez ce
peuple de près de trente millions
d'âmes, écartelé entre quatre pays
du Proche-Orient et porteur d'une
culture très ancienne, héritée de
celle des Mèdes, peuple qui défit la
puissante Assyrie en l'an 612 avant
notre ère. L'auteur, directeur de
l'Institut kurde de Paris, explique
comment l'empire ottoman, qui
toire de dissidences et d'exclusion»
«que
l'on croyait monolithique ». Mais les
au sein d'une organisation
révélations de Salahattin Celik,
ex-proche d'ÖCalan, font froid
dans le dos: « y a eu plus de cin-
Mystères de l'errance
o
o
o
N
a:
ID
o
......
FIlm iranien de Samlra Makh•
~
(1 b25).
o
d'abstraction graphique qui captive:
les silhouettes de ces instituteurs
sont corrigées par le grand rectangle
des tableaux; les montagnes nues
forment un arrière-plan magnifique,
indéchiffrable. En contrepoint à ces
images qui ne disent rien d'immédiat, qui ouvrent un champ infini de
possibilités, les répliques qu'échangent les porteurs de tableaux bombardeat~
lIIl5 grâce (à
~ ;-~~~=a~a:n~~:::ï
:::i!i
;;:;
o
Z
~
~
Marie Jégo
.
LeTableau noir. Dans les montagnes du Kurdistan iranien, une vision de la misère de la guerre
t
w
3 mars.2000 pour voir sa sortie en
salle.
Salué parce qu'il osait montrer
certaines des «réalités turques»
(violence policière, exode des populations kurdes), le film fut aussi violemment critiqué pour avoir induit
l'idée d'une discrimination envers
les Kurdes: le jeune héros turc,
mat de peau et détenteur d'une
arme, va connaître un sort peu
enviable parce qu'il est pris par
erreur pour un «terroriste» kurde.
Mais, même «passé sous silence
par les médias turcs », le film est
finalement
montré - y compris
dans les provinces kurdes et sans
qu'aucune coupe n'ait été exigée et connai): un certain succès, preuve que le problème de la redéfinition de l'identité nationale en Turquie est tout de même d'actualité.
« se voulait avant tout l'Etat universel des musulmans », accorda, entre
n
w
internationaux d'Istanbul et d'Ankara, le film obtient tous les prix et
reçoit l'ovation du public, mais ne
trouve pas de distributeurs en Turquie », où il faudra attendre le
Comme une colonne d'insectes,
des hommes portent sur leur dos un
tableau noir dans la montagne. fi y
a, dans les premières Images du film
de Samira M.tJo~~lIfl
l1Il ......
moins que les sous-titres n'appauvrissent les dialogues). Ces hommes
sont des instituteurs à la recherche
d'élèves. fis errent au nord de l'Iran,
près de la frontière avec l'Irak, dans
une contrée où les séquelles de la
guerre entre les deux pays comme la
persistance de la revendication nationale kurde ont installé durablement
la guerre et la misère.
fi y avait donc une explication à
ces mystères, et tout le film sera
construit de cette manière, posant
des énigmes à coups d'Images absurdes et hypnotisantes, tentant de les
résoudre par l'information, par la
pédagogie, exactement comme ces
instituteurs qui tentent d'insuffler
un peu de savoir dans ces terres sans
raison. Très vite, le groupe initial se
disperse, et le film s'attache aux pas
de deux hommes qui à leur tour se
25
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stan,tpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
séparent à la fourche de deux che- . d'enfants contrebandiers: MaIgié la professionnel; Said Mohamadi; au
fi faut faire la part de la contrainte
C'est que ..la. jeune . Samir~
spontanéité brute des enfiints corné- jeu d'une simplicité Irréprochable), a .. dans cette manière de faire du cinéMakhmalbaf (vingt-quatre ans) est
diens, malgré le tragique de situa- çroisé l'errance d'une troupe de ma. Des interdits encore en vigueur
parfois prise dans son système de
tion (ces gamins sont coincés entre vieillards qui cherche à regagner son en Iran, Samira Maklnnalbaf a fait la
~mise-en scène;-u-beautédes-figu..--es ---les-exigenœs-des-c;aids de-Ia-œntre-- -village-en-Ira.1c.-!!s.sont accompagnés-matièrLOe_
drame kurde,- jamais __
qu'elle trace à l'écran et l'originalité
bande et des douaniers à la gâchette d'une jeune veuve et de son enfant. explicitement nommé) et la manière
de ses idées de cadrage ne suffisent
facile), on finit par avoir .envie de les Le système de Samira Makhmalbaf (la disposition dans l'espace de
pas toujours à donner chair et grâce. laisser sur place. Le tableau noir s'épanouit alors. Entre la réalité, . l'homme et de la femme à l'écran)
à sa frénésie symbolique.
devient l'accessoire d'une salie de cent fois montrée à la télévision, du de son flIm. Elle affronte ces difficulclasse cinématographique dont la malheur des réfugiés et l'inventlvité . tés avec une rage et un brio qui font
LE POUVOIR DE MONTRER
réalisatrice-institutrice ne laissera de la cinéaste s'établit une harmonie penser que, demain, quand il sera
C'est le cas pour cette scène de. sortir aucun élève-spectateur avant terrible. La volonté de démontrer
possible d'appeler les gens et les choséparation. Cet agacement va croisqu'il n'ait assimilé la leçon.
devient pouvoir de montrer. Ce qui ses par leur nom, Samira Makhmalsant pendant un long moment, celui
On parle ici d'un petit quart du
était rabâchage devient, par la grâce baf continuera de faire des films
. que la cinéaste consacre à Reeboir
film. Heureusement - miracle du d'une inspfration sans faille, l'évoca- indispensables.
(joué par le réalisateur Dahman
montage alterné -, Said, l'autre instI- tlon lumineuse de la misère de vies
Ghobadi).qui a rejo\nt un 2I'oupe
Thomas Sotine'
tuteur. (joué par un comédien non consacrées à échapper à la mort.
miIIs.
......nM01~f~~~~~~~%'If~~~
•
Le tableau nOir
•
(Instructif)
q- ":'/
.r-
P
,....
,....
ARTAGÉentre plusieurs
pays,le Kurdistan n'évite
ni la domination ni la
cruauté. Ici, c'est un bombardement qui vient de frapper le
Kurdistan iranien.
Problème pour les enseignants kurdes: faire malgré
tout la classe. C'est ainsi que
des instituteurs, tableau noir
accroché au dos, parcourent
des villages pour y trouver des
élèves. Mais beaucoup de
Jeunes et aussi de moins
Jeunes arpentent les montagnes pour gagner clandestinement l'Irak. Exode périlleux
en raison des mines Jalonnant
les chemins et des tirs de soldats frontaliers.
r
La plupart des interprètes
de cette aventure ont été recrutés sur place. Réalisatrice
du film, Sandra Makhmalbaf,
20 ans, a écrit le scénario avec
son père, l'intelligent et sensible cinéaste iranien Mohsen
INT~RNATION.AtHERALD
~'::;t~~~~~
26
Jean-Paul Grousset
TRIBUNE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2000
Turkey to Pump .
More Oil FrornJraq
in~fuU
Iraqi oil pipeline -:- a move seen as
retaliation against a proposed U.S..
resolution recognizing the TUrkish .
killings of Armenians ~ genocide.
. Under .. UN. sanctions stemming
fromIraq's 1990inyasio~ofKuwait,
Iraq' s ability to tradeis severely limited. The pipeline, wbich.~
from
the Iraqi oil fields in Kirlcuk to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Yumurtalik, has been pumping limited oil to
let Iraq makeenol1gh money to buy
foOd andmedicine.
Turkey now
wants to increase the PuniPing~
The twiD pipeline is now working.
at available capacity of nearly I
million barrels a day -'-. some.
600,000 barrels short. of its maximum capacity~.
(AP)
Makhmalbaf. Pour les séquences réussies du « Tableau
noir» (d'autres le sont moins),
la Jeune Samira ne pouvait
être à meilleure école.
Legislators Seek
Tough Iran Pâliry
. WASHINGTON --.: A majoritY
of members of the Houseof :Representatives and more than 20 senators Wednesday called for_io~g~er
U.S. policies towardIran,.
~ying
Tehran continues to vi91ate human .
rights and President Mohammed
Khatami has failed to bringabout.
any improv~ment.
.
~
Some 225 House. members and
28 senators said executions,.torture,
attacks on dissidentS abroad and the
recent trial by an Islamic court of 13
lranj~~dews'.bAAin~ ;c.l~,d.\Wrs
."lead U$to cpnclude Olaf any ~ of
political openness or moderation is
illadvised."
.
.
(Reuters)
BRÈVE RENCONTRE AVEC ...
Samira Makhmalbaf
20 ans à Téhéran
Ene a l'énergie imprudente de ses 20 ans.
Ene parle vite, très vite. Toujours avec passion. Fille de son père, le grand cinéaste
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, elle est aujourd'hui
mère de deux films,« la Pomme »et« le
Tableau noir J. Samira n'est pas une enfant prodige mais une jeune fille iranienne
avide de liberté et impatiente de prouver
que la vraie foi, celle que l'on place dans
les autres et dans la création, peut déplacer
des montagnes. Couverte d'honneurs dans
les festivals du monde entier, y compris à
Cannes où elle a obtenu le prix du jury,
ene refuse de se laisser étourdir. Elle sait
qu'elle a encore tant de choses à dire, à
vivre et à filmer.
~us avez de la
chance " votre père, le grand cinéaste Mohsen
Makhmalbaf, est sans doute l'homme le plus féministe d'Iran.
Samira Makhmalbaf.C'est vrai, il m'a
inculqué la belle idée d'égalité des sexes et
donné le courage de créer. Son éducation a
été un vrai cadeau. Une école de liberté. Je
suis fière de pouvoir prouver aux jeunes Iraniennes que le monde de la création ne leur
est pas interdit. Quel bonheur après le tournage du« Tableau noir • dans les montagnes du Kurdistan iranien d'entendre des
jeunes filles kurdes dire qu'elles aussi souhaitaient« diriger • des films. Mon exemple
leur montre qu'il ne faut jamais renoncer.
N.O.- Une jeune fiUe dirigeant
une centaine de villageois
kurdes qui ne connaissaient rien au cinéma,
c'est une expérience
inédite.
S. Makhmalbaf.
Etrangement,
ce fut
beaucoup plus facile
Le Nouvel Observateur.-
que lors du tournage de« la Pomme. à Téhéran. En ville, une femme a toujours ton.
Elle est en permanence exposée aux regards
agressifs ou concupiscents des hommes. Au
Kurdistan, les gens sont beaucoup plus ouverts. Plus simples. Plus respectueux de
votre personne. Les conditions de tournage,
en raison soit de l'extrême chaleur soit du
grand froid, ont été très dures. Pour la scène
où les vieillards se jettent dans l'eau glacée
de la rivière, j'y suis allée la première et j'ai
dirigé la scène complètement trempée. Ils
ont tous apprécié.
N.O.- « Le Tableau noir » raconte la vie errante et périlleuse de trois générationsl ballottées
entre l'Iran et l'Irak par la gume. Enfants,
contrebandiers, instituteUrs itinérants, vieillards
à la recherche de leur village natal, toW portent
un fardeau sur leurs épaules.
S. MakhmAlbaf.- C'est une métaphore. A
la fois de leur courage physique -le film veut
créer chez le spectateur des sensations physiques - et de leur force morale. Tout le
monde, dans cet univers de survie, pone sa
croix avec une dignité admirable. Mon film
leur rend hommage.
.
N.O.- N'est-il pas difficile, à 20 ans, d'être déjà
un symbole pour la jeunesse iranienne ? Quelle
responsabilité !
S. Makhamalbaf.Cette responsabilité ne
me pèse pas. Ene me pousse au contraire à
aller plus loin. Le rôle des artistes est de
faire bouger les frontières mentales. Il faut
pour cela déployer beaucoup d'énergie.
Mais le jeu en vaut la chandelle. Je sais que
je ne suis pas seule, que l'Iran est un
pays jeune - 60% de la population a
moins de 20 ans - et que c'est à nous
de transformer les choses. Il y a déjà
en Iran une dizaine de réalisatrices
femmes. Ce n'est pas assez. Notre
exemple doit donner aux autres le
courage de se lancer dans l'aventure. Ma force, aujourd'hui, c'est
peut-être mon inconscience. Je
fais du cinéma par amour.
C'est pour cela que j'ai la
folie de croire que
rien ne pourra
m'arrêter.
GILLES
ANQUETIL
27
Plus de 450 clandestins débarquent à Otrante
.~..:=
--
ROME, il oct (AFPF16h2S-';' Aoandonnes en -pleine mer sur un cargo turc, 462-clandestins;-doniune-majorité de-I(urdes orig_narres
d'Irak, ont pu débarquer mercredi dans le port italien d'Otrante (sud-est), a-t-on appris auprès des gardes-côtes.
Repéré par les gardes-côtes italiens mardi soir à plus de 20 miles des côtes italiennes, le navire "Oiler" a été conduit jusqu'à Otrante
par un équipage italien monté à bord au cours'de la nuit. Le vieux cargo turc a été escorté par des vedettes de la Marine italienne.
Trois immigrés dont deux femmes enceintes ont dû être hospitalisés.
Les clandestins, dont près de la moitié sont des femmes et des enfants, avaient été abandonnés en pleine mer par l'équipage du navire
qui a réussi à échapper aux recherches.
Parmi ces immigrés figurent également des Turcs, des Pakistanais, des Afghans, cinq Indiens, trois Syriens, un Sénégalais et deux
Palestiniens, a-t-on précisé de source policière.
"Les malheureux allaient vers une mort certaine", a commenté le ministre de l'Intérieur Enzo Bianco au cours d'une conférence de
presse à Rome. Selon M. Bianco les passeurs appartiennent à "une organisation criminelle des plus dangereuses, et sont d'une
violence inouïe".
Les immigrés ont été conduits dans un centre d'accueil d'Otrante pour y être identifiés. Seuls les 345 Kurdes irakiens peuvent
prétendre au statut de réfugiés, a indiqué le ministre de l'Intérieur.
Selon les premiers témoignages recueillis, les immigrés ont embarqué à Izmir en Turquie et payé 2.500 dollars par adulte et la moitié
par enfant pour le voyage.
Afin d'éviter de nouveaux débarquements, M. Bianco a souhaité une meilleure collaboration des autorités turques avec la police
italienne. "On peut et on doit faire plus", a-t-il dit.
Le ministre de l'Intérieur a précisé qu'au cours des neuf premiers mois de l'année, la police a appréhendé 21.000 clandestins qui
venaient de débarquer contre 43.000 lors de la même période de 1999. Selon M. Bianco, 50.000 immigrés en situation irrégulière ont
été expulsés entre le 1er janvier et le 30 septembre.
Hozat aspire à une vie "normale" après 15 ans
de guerre (REPORTAGE)
-
HOZAT (Turquie), 15 oct (AFP) - 3h40 - SOus une musique assourdissante provenant des haut-parleurs installés devant un
mini-terrain de football, les habitants de Hozat'(est), auparavant théâtre de violents combats entre l'armée et les rebelles kurdes,
aspirent à un retour à une vie normale.
Dans cette ville de 7.000 habitants, chef-lieu de la province de Tunceli, les militaires sont encore omniprésents bien que les combats
y aient pratiquement cessé depuis que le Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) a annoncé qu'il mettait fin à quinze ans de lutte
armée pour un Etat kurde indépendant en septembre 1999.
"Maintenant que le PKK est terminé, il faut que l'activité économique normale reprenne", dit à l'AFP Ali Yilmaz, un grossiste de 26
ans, près du petit stade construit et inauguré par l'armée, qui a !,rganisé dans la région un voyage de deux jours pour la presse.
Contrastant avec l'un des derniers tubes américains qui jaillit des enceintes installées devant le terrain, l'atmosphère est morose
dans la ville, malgré la récente levée d'un "embargo" sur la noùrriture imposé en 1994 par les autorités sur Tunceli.
Les habitants n'avaient droit qu'à une quantité limitée de farine, huile, thé et produits légumineux de crainte qu'un surplus ne tombe
entre les mains de maquisards kurdes.
.
"Nous respirons un peu, maintenant. L'armée, a fait ce qu'elle avait à faire, maintenant c'est aux civils de faire en sorte que cette
ville prospère", estime M. Yilmaz. Il s0\Ù1aite que les habitants de la région qui ont fui la guerre en émigrant vers les grandes villes
reviennent à Hozat et y investissent.
'
,
Faute de fonds du gouvernement à Ankara, c'est l'armée qui a restauré le "Cemevi", centre religieux de la communauté Alévie (secte
musulmane progressiste), fortement implantée dans la région, souligne-t-il.
A cause de la guerre, l'élevage pratiqué par de dizaines de villages aux alentours est "mort", affirme Kadir Yildirim, 60 ans, du
village proche de Beselma. Il souligne que l'armée a fourni à des villageois le matériel nécessaire pour se lancer dans l'apiculture,
achetant aussi une partie de leur miet
28
..'
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro d~ la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti
,viais cela ne suffit pas pour faire redécoller l'activité dans la région.
Tunceli est l'une des quatre provinces de l'est et du sud-est à majorité kurde où l'état d'urgence, proclamé en 1987, est encore en
vigueur. Le terrain très accidenté est particulièrement propice aux activités des maquisards, expliquent les militaires.
Selon le général Dursun Bak, commandant en chef de la région, environ 70 membres du PKK sont encore présents à Tunceli, ainsi
qu'une vingtaine de membres de l'Armée de libération des travailleurs et paysans de Turquie (TIKKO, maoïste), qui coopère selon
l'armée avec le PKK.
"Des affrontements ont toujours lieu, il s'agit d'être vigilants contre ces militants qui reçoivent directement des ordres du PKK",
dit-il à la presse. "Nous sommes déterminés à mener le combat jusqu'à ce que la région soit nettoyée du dernier de ces terroristes".
Le PKK, répondant à l'appel de son chef Abdullah Ocalan, condamné à mort pour trahison et séparatisme en juin 1999, a annoncé en
septembre qu'il arrêtait les combats et se retirait de Turquie.
Mais l'armée a rejeté cet appel, mettant en doute sa sincérité, et a demandé aux miUtants de se rendre faute de quoi elle les
poursuivrait jusqu'au bout. Sept rebelles ont ainsi été tués récemment encore dans la province de Sirnak, frontalière avec l'Irak et la
Syrie.
L'armée tente de lancer le mariage civil dans
le sud~RTAGE)
-
-
YUKARI CICEKDERE (Turquie), 15 oct (AFP) - 3h39- "Acceptez-vous de vous prendre pour époux et épouse et de vous respecter
mutuellement?": l'officier de l'état civil s'adresse à dix couples qui s'unissent par un mariage collectif en plein air organisé par
l'armée dans le hameau déshérité de Yukari Cicekdere (sud-est), sous les regards effarés des enfants.
La cérémonie civile fait partie d'une campagne de l'armée intitulée "Que ton témoin soit un militaire", qui vise à éradiquer le
mariage religieux, interdit par les lois du régime laïque de la Turquie, pays musulman, mais toléré dans l'est et le sud-est à majorité
kurde où le mariage civil reste rare.
Des regards timides et parfois gênés s'échangent entre les mariés, assis côte à côte au bout d'une table. Une scène similaire se déroule
autour de neuf autres tables installées devant la petite école de Yukari Cicekdere, dans la province de Bingol.
Le marié, en costume, a pour témoin en uniforme le capitaine Turgas Aras, et la mariée, habillée d'une tunique pourpre, sa femme
Yesim.
"Nous avons été mariés il y a un an par l'imam", indique à l'AFP en souriant Abdulsamet Cetkin, 18 ans. Sa femme Nahide, 16 ans,
a du mal à s'exprimer en turc et ses propos sont traduits du Kurde par son mari. "Je suis contente de me marier comme ça. C'est
officiel", dit-elle.
L'armée est très présente dans la vie sociale de cette région ravagée par 15 ans de conflit avec le Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan
(PKK), qui a mis fin l'an dernier à sa rébellion. Outre les mariages, elle organise aussi la circoncision des garçons dans les villages
pauvres.
Le gouverneur de Bingoi Mustafa Ozmen fait un discours et appelle les villageois à ne plus pratiquer le mariage religieux qui
"réduit à néant" les droits des femmes.
Les couples scellent leur alliance sous les applaudissements
des cadeaux et sucreries distribués par les soldats.
et certains sous les regards de leurs propres enfants, qui profitent ensuite
Le marié a droit à une montre, l'épouse à un bracelet en or.
"C'est plus difficile que d'être soldat", confie le capitaine Aras soulagé au terme de la cérémonie.
Un peu plus loin, la mariée pose fièrement avec son livret de famille pour les photographes
avec son mari "officiel".
Summum des festivités, des danses folkloriques. Mais si l'heure est au mariage civil, elle n'est pas encore à la mixité: deux rondes,
une pour les hommes, l'autre pour les femmes, sont immédiatement formées à quelques mètres de distance.
29
Et,monit
VENDREDI 13 OCTOBRE 2000
Unromancier victime de sa parole publique
Alors que les lecteurs frcmçèlis découvrent enfin Ahmet Altan, l'écrivain turc est traduit
en justice pour avoir écrit il Y a un an un article dénonçant la mainmise des militaires sur l'Etat
COMME UNE BLESSURE
DE SABRE
d'Ahmet Altan.
Traduit du turc
par Alfred Depeyrat,
Actes Sud, 382 p.,
149 F (22,71 €).
n connait assez mal la
littérature' turque en
France, et l'éditeur a rai,
son, de la promouvoir
dans une nouvelle collection. Le
choix du premier auteUr paraissait
s'imposer. Altan devrait séduire,
au moins intéresser la critique occidentale. Ecrivain, fils d'écrivain,
c'est aussi 'un journaliste courageux qui ne mâche pas ses mots et
que les militaires, si influents dans
son pays, ont toutes.les raisons de
détester. Auteur à, succès, il est
pour la première fois traduit en
France avec ce roman, son cinquième. Les personnages y fourmillent
un peu trop, leurs noms et leurs
titres déconcerteront les non-spécialistes, mais l'auteur a réussi sa
tentative ambitieuse de peindre la
'Turquie d'aujourd'hui à travers
,une sorte d'allégorie historique.
L'action se déroule à un moment
'crucial de l'histoire du pays, les
années de feu qui amenèrent un
groupe d'officiers à renverser en
1909 le dernier sultan: Abdulhamid. Altandécrit la déliquescence
de l'empire. Le souverain règne en
manipulant des pachas corrompus
qui ne cessent de conspirer les uns
contre les autre~POilr améliorer
:leur position, ou le luxe de leurs
~ais, ou les parures de leurs favo~~es. Ces intrigues de sérail
enchantent l'auteur. n en multiplie
les exemples avec' ~e certaine
complaisance, est-ce parce que les
choses n'ont pas tellement changé? En tout cas, ilIes raconte bien.
Mais on s'intéresse davantage
aux origines et aux progrès de la
rébellion des militaires. C'est l'aspect politique du livre, qui rappelle
le Sartre des Mains sales par l'ur-
O
30
gence et la complexité des questions posées. Pour les jeunes officiers qui souhaitent renouveler
l'Etat, faut-il agir comme les maquisards bulgares qu'ils combattent?
Faut-il même les combattre puisqu'ils luttent eux aussi pour la liberté? Déposer les armes: serait-ce
trahir la patrie? Mais qu'est-ce au
juste que la patrie pour un Ottoman ? Peut-on se cantonner dans
une identité turque (Ie mot réapparait à cette époque)? On sait que
ce choix racial fut finalement
accepté contre le cosmopolitisme
plus ou moins bienveillant de la
porte, et qu'il mènera entre autres
au génocide des Arméniens.
Le personnage le plus intéressant du livre, le cheikh Effendi,
incarne la religion, son pouvoir
immense, ses doutes devant la
désagrégation du système. n s'agit
d'un ascète, qui dirige de son
monastère une secte musulmane
dont' les adeptes se multiplient
sans cesse, attirés par les vertus du
saint homme. Or, sous son extrême bonté, sa patience infinie, ses
silences légendaires, le cheikh souffre d'une culpabilité atroce. Il est
, en effet la, proie d'une, puis de
deux femmes délétères. C'est là un
autre thème du livre, assez artificiellement inséré dans l'action. La
belle Mehparé rivalise en beauté
avec sa belle-mère. L'une, échauffée par le triolisme, se livre aux
plaisirs en compagnie de son
époux, qu'elle finira par quitter
pour' 'd'autres
débordements;,
l'autre plus avide de pouvoir, se
réjouit au contraire d'inspirer le
désir des hommes sans jamais l'assouvir. Tous les personnages principaux appartiennent au' même
groupe familial ou y entreront par
alliance. Un de leurs descendants;
sorte de témoin moderne qui interroge leurs spectres, sert d'appui au
narrateur. Le procédé est original
mais trop laborieusement exploité
pour donner l'unité à ce texte complexe, fort élégamment traduit.
Jean SoubUn
e romancier turc Ahmet
sieurs peines d'emprisonnement
Altan est menacé de sept pour ses prises de position.
Né en 1950, Ahmet Altan lutte
ans d'emprisonnement
après avoir critiqué le depuis près de trente ans en
poids de l'armée dans son pays faveur de la démocratie. Journadans un article paru un an plus liste, il a été notamment rédactôt dans l'hebdomadaire Aktuel.
teur en chef du quotidien de cenSon procès a commencé jeudi tre-gauche Milliyet, dans lequel il
5 octobre, à Istanbul, en l'absena écrit en 1995 un article satirique
ce du romancier, qui était en Fran- contre la politique à l'égard des
ce pour la sortie de son nouveau . Kurdes, intitulé « Atakurde », qui
livre, Comme une blessure de lui valut d'être licencié et condamsabre, qui parait chez Actes Sud né par la Cour de sfrreté de l'Etat
(lire ci-contre) ..
à vingt mois de prison avec sursis.
La décision est intervenue près
Il a publié plusieurs romans,
d'un an après la parution de qui ont dépassé les 100000 exeml'article.
plaires en Turquie. Son deuxième
, «En Turquie les auteurs ressem- livre, La Trace sur l'eau, publié en
blent à des gibiers qui courent,
1985, a été condamné pour
mais on ne sait jamais quand les « atteinte aux bonnes mœurs» et a
chasseurs vont tirer. Cette incertituété brtllé, en raison de passages
de est créée pour exercer une vraie
jugés « obscènes ». Ahmet Altan a
pression sur les écrivains », expli- écrit, avec Orhan Pamuk et
que Ahmed Altan.
Yachar Kemal, « une déclaration
Dans cet article, Ahmet Altan pour les droits de l'homme (et des
s'interrogeait: « Qui donc gouverdroits culturels des Kurdes) et de la
ne ce pays? Est-ce que ce sont les démocratie en Turquie ». Soutegénéraux
qui gouvernent
ce nue par Elie Wiesel, Günter
pays? » Il dénonçait ensuite l'im- Grass, Umberto Eco,José Saramapuissance des hommes politi- go, Arthur Miller, Ingmar Bergques: «L'état-major des armées man, etc., Ahmet Altan regrette le
non seulement n'a ouvert aucune
peu d'écho qu'elle a suscité dans
enquête contre un officier sur les médias de son pays.
lequel porte la lourde accusation
De nombreux écrivains et jourde responsabilité de la mort de
nalistes sont régulièrement concitoyens de ce pays, mais il s'est mis damnés en Turquie, notamment
àfaire peur aux députés auteurs de après des prises de position sur la
ce rapport, demandant au parquet
question kurde.
de les poursuivre. L'état-major des
Fin 1999, il Y avait près de
armées peut donc engager des quatre-vingts journalistes en pripoursuites contre des députés,
son, malgré une amnistie votée
mais le Parlement peut-il engager en aoQt. Ces dernières années, les
des poursuites contre un général
écrivains Ismail Besikci, Yilmaz
ou ,un quelconque officier?»
Odabas et l'auteur turc le plus
L'écrivain est rentré en Turquie connu, Yachar Kemal,ont eu affaipour assister à ~on procès et se re à la Cour de surêté de l'Etat. Le
défendre. « En tant que romancier
dramatUrge Esber Yagmurdereli
je ne devrais peut-être m'occuper
avait été arrêté pendant le Festique de mes livres, explique-t-il, val international de théâtre d'Ismais je suis obligé de me pronontanbul (Le Monde du 6 juin 1998).
cer sur le terrain politique. C'est Ahmet Altan constate: « Etre
mon devoir de citoyen. » Son père, jugé et peut-être condamné fait
Çetin Altan, était également
partie du métier d'écrivain en
romancier, journaliste et député
Turquie. »
socialiste. Il a été condamné à pluAlain Salles
L
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basrn Ozeti
KNK's Vanll Writes to Sezer Proposing Solution to Kurdish Problem
Ozgur Politika 13 Oct 00
In a letter to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Kurdish National Congress [KNK] Chairman
Ismet Serif Vanli demanded that the Kurdish problem be resolved. Stressing that within the KNK, there
are 28 Kurdish political parties and organizations, including the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan], the
nine-page letter emphasized that the KNK represents the Kurdish people.
Reportedly, the KNK sent
this letter on 16 June in order to congratulate Sezer on his presidency.
Vanli wished Sezer success
on behalf of "the Kurdish people and the KNK."
Recalling that prior to his election, Sezer issued statements that aroused hope with regard to
Turkey's democratization, the letter continued as follows:
"We sincerely hope that the 10th president
willlay the constitutional foundations of a new and democratic Turkey. We also hope that he will carry
Turkey into the third millenium in a manner that is in line with the spirit of the age by resolving the
Kurdish problem through peaceful means .•
We Are in Favor of a Solution
Drawing attention to the fact that the Kurdish people do not have the right to present their views
about Turkeys' future, the letter continued as follows:
"Honorable president, our sole aim is the happiness and progress of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples.
We are in favor of a free unity that is guaranteed by a new and democratic constitution, which is based on respect for human rights as well as
equal and democratic rights and duties. We only want to assist in solving the problems through dialogue."
Emphasizing that despite the fact that the PKK has ended war and has withdrawn its forces
outside Turkey's border, the Turkish Army continues to launch operations, KNK Chairman Vanli demanded that such military operations be ended immediately.
.
A General Amnesty that Includes Ocalan
Noting that a general amnesty is primarily necessary for the solution of the problems, Vanli demanded the following:
"We believe that it will be best to pass a general amnesty that includes the PKK
guerrillas and members, as well as PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The general amnesty should also
include honorable Leyla Zana, Hatip Diele, and many other thought criminals who are incarcerated despite the fact that they have never participated in armed struggle."
Noting that he wants to visit Sezer
in the Cankaya Mansion, Vanli stressed that the KNK is ready to fulfill all its duties in order to contribute to solving the Kurdish problem.
A Long List of Problems
The following is KNK Chairman Prof. Vanli's proposals regarding the solution of the problem:
1. OHAL [State of Emergency], which has been in effect in a great number of Kurdish provinces
since 1987, as well as all other emergency measures should be lifted.
All village guards, special
teams, and paramilitary forces should be disbanded.
2. Efforts should be made to ensure the return of Kurds who have been evacuated from their villages and districts.
Their damages should be compensated by the state.
3. Political executions, torture, and "murders committed by anonymous people" should be stopped. Those who encourage such murders should be captured and punished by law.
4. All bans with regard to freedom of thought and organization should be removed.
All political
parties that do not use arms, including parties v/hose names include the words 'Kurd' and 'Kurdistan,'
should be granted the authority to act freely.
5. All constraints and injustices with reg.ird to religious and sect differences should be ended.
Freedom of faith and awareness should be applied.
6. All bans on the Kurdish language and culture should be removed.
should be freely used in all fields of life -- the media, mass communications
sion, public and private schools, education, colleges, and universities.
7.
The Kurdish language
organs, radio and televi-
Turkey should develop special programs and plans to revive the economic infrastructure in
Kurdistan.
31
.
" .'.
.........
.
."
HowMäÏlyLivè$mrKutêli$IICats?Germangroup
claims
.,.ûr~sar'èradicatirig endangered speëies
...
:-::.L9sAngeJes-limes--=--140Ct"20.00-
-
-
-
--
-
-
'Amberin Zaman, Los Angeles Times
Vari~Turkey - This n;:!,tion's powerful army ha~ long been accused by Western rights groups of gross
élbl,lses in its 15-year battle agàin~t separatist Kurdish rebels. Since the rebels' deféat last year, however, the allegations have diminished along with thé Kurds' demands for independence.
But now an Qbscure German group is ch~rging that Turkish sQldiers have begun a campaign to externili'iaté an endangered species of cat that lives in and around the reinote eastem province of Van, bordering Iran.
Based in Dusseldorf and calling itself the.SOS Van Cats Rescue Action, the newly formed group claims
that during the p~st month alone, the Turkish military has "poisoned" as many as 200 of the cats named
after their native province.
"The Turkish state wants to wipe out everything that symbolizes Kurdish culture," Florian Cremer, a
spokeswoman for the group, charged in a recent interview with the Turkish weekly Aydinlik. "The cats
are Kurdish, and the Turkish authorities are unable to digest this."
E:xperts remain divided on the origins of this exotic breed, which has snow-white fur and usually one
bluE! and one green eye. It loves to swim in Van's huge lake and is said to behave more like a dog than
a cat. Local legend has it that the felines were part of Noah's cargo and left the ark when the fiood
waters receded and the vessel came to rest on the peak of Mount Ararat, about 100 miles northeast of
the city of Van. Others say the breed evolved from an Egyptian strain brought into Van more than 3,000
years ago.
Now, apparently in response to the Germans, Turkish nationalists havé been quoted in recent news
reports as insisting that Van cats, like the latter-day Turks, came from Central Asia.
Denying the Kurds' existence as a distinct ethnic group and repressing their culture has been state policy since the founding of the Turkish republic more than 70 years ago. Up until1991, Turkey's estimated 12 million Kurds were forbidden to use their own language in public.
Today, as Turkey readies itself for membership in the European Union, leading Turkish politicians have
been taking turns acknowledging what a former president, Suleyman Demirel, described as "the
Kurdish reality." Claims that the Turkish army is slaughtering the cats because they are Kurdish are ridiculed even by the army's harshest critics here.
Nowhere do they provoke more scorn than at a recently established center at the local state university
that is seeking to rescue the breed from extinction. According to Zahit Agaoglu, theprofessor running
the project, the local governor and military officials contribute'd generously toward the construction last
year of a large cat shelter on campus. .
******
Changes to running mine-removal operations in Kurdish region
Kurdistan TV 15 Oct 00
In order to increase the efficiency of mine-removal work in Kurdistan, the Mine-Removal Directorate at
the Ministry of Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation implemented substantial changes in its programme.
This was done to supervise the work of all foreign and local NGOs directly in the mine-removal work.
In [Iraqi] Kurdistan region, UNOPS is the only NGO that benefits from Resolution 986's oil revenue.
The. other NGO is MAG [Mines Advisory Group], receives financial aid from Britain. Apart from those,
neWly-formed Kurdistan Mine-Removal organization is another one.
Its work at present is mainly
ctmcentrated on the protection aspect and it will expand it to mine removal.. Sirat Jihad, director of the
Mine-Removal Directorate at the Ministry of Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation, said to our television:
According to Kurdistan regional government's guidelines, the directorate has adopted new programmes
in order to bring expertise in mine-removal fields into the Kurdish NGOs. Apart from the reason that
32
the process will be a lengthy one [should the current system continue]. Most of the mine-removal staff
are Kurds and there should be a Kurdish executive board to run their affairs.
In this respect, Dr Shafiq Qazzaz, Minister of Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation, said: The large
number of mine fields is a source of great concern. Over the years Kurdistan's land sustained many
mine accidents. According to Resolution 986, UNOPS is carrying out the mine-removal work. But
the work done by the aforementioned NGO has not been proportional to the number of mine fields.
The minister for Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation yesterday in UNOPS office in Ayn Kawa [Arbil]
chaired a meeting on reviewing the progress of mine-removal work over the seven phases of Resolution
986 and improving performance.
Following the meeting they visited some of the mine-fields.
It is worth mentioning that 911 sq.km. of Kurdistan's land is planted with mines that sums up to 10m
mines. According to other reports they are more than 20m, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.
According to its data since the start of its work, UNOPS removed less than 200 anti-tank and 300
anti-personnel mines. These figures are much less than the actual number of mines in Kurdistan.
*'*****
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE:
Office of the Spokesman
Worldwide Caution October 17, 2000
The American Embassy in Ankara made the following announcement to the local American community
in Turkey. It is being repeated here for the broader American community: For approximately the last two
weeks, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara has been the scene of peaceful, daily demonstrations related to
the Armenian Genocide Resolution now pending in the U. S. House of Representatives. The U.S.
Consulate General in Istanbul has also been the focus of several peaceful demonstrations.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the resolution shortly. Depending on the outcome, Turkish groups may stage wider protests. American citizens should be alert to the possibility of
demonstrations in cities with large expatriate Turkish populations. All American citizens should remain
vigilant with regard to their personal security. They should exercise caution, avoid large crowds and
gatherings, keep a low profile, and vary routes and times of all required travel.
This Public Announcement will expire on November 3, 2000.
******
Turk police arrest Kurd party official in southeast
Reuters 17 Oct 2000
ANKARA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Turkey's main legal Kurdish party said on Tuesday police had arrested a
local party official in the mainly Kurdish southeast after finding "illegal documents" at his house.
The People"s Democracy Party (HADEP), which faces a possible legal ban on charges of collaborating
with Kurdish separatist guerrillas, said the arrest was part of an official crackdown intended to prevent
the party establishing itself.in the region.
.
HADEP won control of many local administrations in the southeast in 1999 elections but failed to achiéve a 10 percent national threshhold needed to win seats in parliament. In a statement faxed to Reuters,
HADEP said its chief in the southeast town of Cizre, Mehmet Dilsiz, was detained on Sunday after receiving threats telling him to resign. The party called for his immediate release. Police were not immediately available for comment. The detention followed the arrest of another HADEP official in the province
of Simak last month after security officials found "weaponry and illegal documents. in his car.
HADEP advocates a negotiated solution to 16 years of armed struggle between security forces and the
Kurdish rebels that has claimed over 30,000 lives. It also seeks cultural rights for the country"s estimated 12 million Kurds. Fighting between security forces and the rebels is at a low ebb since the guerrillas
withdrew from Turkey on the orders of their jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan is appealing against
a death penalty handed down last year for treason.
33
Revue de Presse-Press Revieiv-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Özeti
EU's Kurdish stipulation
Milliyet Oct. 17, 2000
Milliyet is disclasing the tap secret Accessian Partnership Accord, a draft prepared by Guenter
Verheugen, European commissioner responsible far enlargement, to. specify the tasks Turkey must
c6mpiete in the cau~e of its pracess af adjustment to the European Unian. The draft sets two kinds of
hameWork for Turkey, short-term and medium-term ..The draft demands with priarity that Turkey lift all
the legal restrictions an Turkish nationals using their 'mather tongue' in radio-TV broadcasting, obviousIY.meaning Kurdish. It said that to. reduce the regianal differences, canditions should be improved far all
citizens with a view to creating wider ecanamic, social and cultural opportunities especially in the
Saùtheast.
The draft also said that in the medium term, the National Security Cauncil's (MGK) role should be reviewed. the death penalty abalished and thase provisians which hinder cultural develapment, for exampl~
in thé fièld af eduèation, shauld be weeded aut af the law. It calls far measures aimed at expanding the
scope of the freedom of expressian and at encauraging the development of nangavemmental organizatians (NGOs) in the cauntry. It also said that more effective measures should be taken to prevent the
practice of torture.
Wark an the draft is in its final stages, and the document will be made public an Nav. 8. Verheugen has
prepared the draft through consultatians with Ankara. The draft must be endorsedby the individual EU
members to become final. The draft can be altered at any time befare the Nov. 8 deadline .•
******
Cem gives green light to EU expectationson Kurdish language
Turkish Daily News Octaber 18. 2000
Foreign Minister Ismail Cern said that if Turkey wants to start negotiations with the Eurapean Union as
soon as possible, it shauld be aware of the EU's expectatians on basic freedom. Speaking to the Turkish
Daily News in an exclusive interview in Istanbul on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Cern said that the EU,
does nat place any "canditions" on turkey regarding any language, when asked whether the EU had
asked Turkey to take steps regarding the Kurdish language.
"However, the EU has its appraach to basic freedom. The EU asks all candidate countries to implement .
these understandings of human rights. Turkey is the onlycandidate which has not started negotiations
.'. with the. EU yet. This is very shäm$ful $it~atianfor LIS," Cern s~id. The foreign minister drew attention
the fact that it Was up tQ Turke,y to. speed up its process af accessian to.the EU. Accarè;linQto. Cero,
the EU's Accessian PartnerShip DacLllilent Whichwili be annaUnced on Nav. 8, daes not carry a Iieg~ti. . v~ message an the issue af minorities.
a
.'to
"We persuaded the Eurapean Commission not to. 'create any new minorities' but af course we still have
tamake aur positian clear to the European Parliament, n he said .
. (smaJI Cem is the first official to. state thät Turkey should take action regarding broadcasting in Kurdish.
During the interView with the TDN Cem said that he had made realistic analysis to show the way to
speed up the accessian pracess with the EU.
"If we want to start talks with the EU in 2001, in Turkey's strategic interests, we should take certain political steps,. Cem cantinued.
.
******
Human rights, environmental groups appeal to US to 'shun Turkish dam project
AFP 18 Octaber 2000
WASHINGTON. Oct 17 (AFP) -An alliance af human rights and environmental graups has call~d on.thé
US Export-Import Bank to shun a Turkish hydraelectric dam project, which th~y say will farce the re-sett ..
lernent of thousands 'of people, damage pùblic health, and endanger a MedIeval architectural treasure.
Aletter signed by 14 graups urged Ex-1m Bank chairman James Harmon and US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright to halt any further discussion of plans to back the IIisu Dam project in southeastem
34
Turkey, which they said was "ill conceived and a misuse of US taxpayer dollars."
An Ex-1m bank official speaking on condition of anonymity confinned that the agency had received "a
preliminary request for a commitment" to support construction of the 1,200 megawatt dam on the Tigris
River, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Syrian border.
The official said the bank has had the request for most of the year, and was still waiting for additional
infonnation before beginning an to evaluation. The official would not disclose who had sought the funding, or in what amount.
The US Export-Import Bank is a government agency that guarantees loans for US companies that want
to compete abroad and makes loans to foreign purchasers of US goods and services.
The British government last December signaled its willingness to underwrite some of the construction
costs in response to a request from the British finn Balfour Beatty for export credits worth 220 million
dollars. The entire project has been estimated to cost 1.9 billion dollars.
But the proposal has ignited a stonn of protest from environmental and human rights activists as well as
from Iraq and Syria, who accuse Turkey of monopolizing the waters of the Tigris to their detriment.
In their recent letter, groups such as Friends of the Earth, the International Rivers Network, the Center
for International Environmental Law, and the Washington Kurdish Institute have charged that the dam is
planned for an area of anned conflict where the Turkish government is oppressing the ethnic Kurdish
minority. The project would require the forced re-settlement of up to 34,000 local people and could negatively impact the lives of up to 78,000, according to the letter.
"It is hard to imagine how the involuntary resettlement of up to 34,000 local people and up to 78,000
potentially impacted, mainly Kurds, will not exacerbate the human rights situation in the area," the letter
said. The letter charged that the Turkish government, with a "dismal resettlement record for other dam
projects," lacks the resources and the political will to honor international resettlement standards.
In addition, the organizations predicted that the IIisu Dam would inundate and destroy Hasankeyf, the
only town in Anatolia that. has survived since the Middle Ages and considered to be an archeological
"treasure."
They in addition argued that the dam, which will flood some of the most fertile land in the region, could
increase the incidence of malaria and schistosomiasis.
***.*.
"Peace Mothers" Delegation Members Tortured in Detention
Kurdish Observer 17 October 2000
Arrested on the grounds that they went to South Kurdistan in order to put an end to the clashes between
Kurdistan Patriotic Unity (YNK) and PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), members of "Mothers of Peace
Initiative" stated that they were exposed to torture. Advocate of the mothers Muharrem Erbey said that
such efforts were unfortunately penalized in Turkey while they were awarded in the world.
Fahriye Bikkin (65), Rahime Ince (65), Azjze Yildiz (39), Muyesser Gunes (48) and Sekemaz Cakar (56)
along with their interpreter Murat Batgi made a statement through their advocates, saying they were subjected to intense torture under detention. Talking with the mothers in prison, Advocate Muharrem Erbey
narrated his client?s explanations as such:
"After we came through Habur Frontier Gate, we were put under detention and interrogated until 9.00
p.m. Afterwards we were taken to Silopi Battalion Command Headquarters. We were interrogated by
one military and three civilian-cloth men, standing on our feets all day long as we were exposed to heavy
insults and curses. Our throats were throttled and we could able to breath. Our hairs were drawn. We
were hit at the backs of our heads and necks .•
Throttled with a muslim scarf
Reminding that they gave a white scarf representing the .peace" at the meeting with Celai Talabani, leader of YNK, the Mothers of Peace narrated the horror they experienced: "They tried to strangle us by
throttling with the white muslin scarf on our heads during the interrogation. After they sprayed a mate-
35
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê':'Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti
rial unknown by us we had nausea, vommitting and bleeding at our noses. Even we said that we had
been through opérations and our blood pressures were low, the pressure continued. We were made
stand on our feets, we were deprived of sleep. We were put into two separate cells and we weré interre€}atElé-for 5-ol"-6-nours-at-inteNa!s.-We-were-forced-to-givéstatement
especiall~ fOLOU Lintei:p.te~r
Murat BatgL The interrogators insisted that Batgi was a joumälist. We said ?we too~ him along With us
only as an interpreter? They made us sig-Il a lot of st~tement as we were blindfolded. As weexplained
what we were through, judges and prosecutors said "pon?t talk about it, talk about other things •. But we
denied all the charges brought to us at the pr6secutership."
"The Advocate Muharrem Erbey saidthat tne interpreter Murat, Batgi who was in Silopi Prison was
,through physical tort~re while under detention, his testis wère squeezed.
" ' • "Péace is a globai concept" ,
,'Èrbey emphasized th~t his clients did not committed the, allegeq crime underarticle 169 of the Turkish
Constitution which consisted of crimes intending to "s~parate a part of land from the country". Ernéy
"said, "Demanding peace is a global concept. It would be wrong to tie the peace demand with an illegal
organization or group. If the mothers held a meeting with not Kurdish groups, they would, not be arrested. Unfortunately these initiatives were punished in Turkey while they were awarded in the world. Erbey
added, Din a period in which Turkey tried to be a member of Européan Unity and torture devices in prisons, were cleared, torturing old mothers, putting them into prisononly for demanding peace would
cause adverse effects on the efforts of Turkey to attain its aim.
II
, Erbey requested that his clients, most of them having operations and some of them having platinum on
their feets, must be released to be treated.
A lot of advocates will defend them
Adv. Muharrem Erbey said that a lot of defense lawyers from Diyarbakir Bar Association would defend
the members of "the Mothers of Peace Initiative" on the first hearing at Diyarbakir State Security Court.
Lawyers Muharrem Erbey, Firat Anli, Metin Kilavuz and Cihan Aydin from Diyarbakir Bar Association filed
an objection to the arrest but it was rejected the last week.
*,*****
'Ullde,~fireculture minister withdraws his resignation: 'MP
AFP - 18 October 2000
,", TEHRAN, Oct 18 (AFP) - An iranÎan MP said under-fire Culture Minister Ataollàh Mohajerani has withdrawn his resignation, press reports said Wednesday, adding to the swirl of speculation around one of
'President Mohammad Khatami's closest ailles.
Mohammad Dadfar said Mohajerani, a hero to the reform movement and a regular target of conservative anger, had taken back a letter to Khatami stepping down from office, newspapers said.
Reports of Mohajerani's resignation have see-sawed back and forth in recent weeks, including rumours
that Khatami asked his ally to tone down an angry 50~page letter explaining hisreasons for leaving the
government. Mohajerani, whose ri1inistryissues newspaper licenses, has been blasted by conservatives
and hardliners over his handling of the press, much of which has been shut down by the right-wing
courts since April. But his role in helping to create a flourishing and vocal press after Khatami's 1997
election, and his support for Iran's celebrated film industry, have made him a political hero to the proreform movement.
Mohajerani survived an impeachment battle in parliament last year, when the legislature was still dominated by conservatives. The conservative courts launched a stinging crackdown on the press in April,
closing every major pro-Khatami paper just weeks after reformists won a majority in February's parliamentary elections.
'
Mohajerani's reported resignation has been the souree of intense speculation in recent weeks, with what
remains of the reform press reporting his continuing attendance at official. government meetings.
******
36
,
i
I
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Bérhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti
Human rights, environmental groups appeal to US to shun Turkish dam project
-
WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (AFP) -An alliance of human rights and environmental groups has called on the
US Export-Import Bank to shun a Turkish hydroelectric dam project, which they say will force the re-settlement of thousands of people, damage public health, and endanger a Medieval architectural treasure.
I
A letter signed by 14 groups urged Ex-1m Bank chairman James Harmon and US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright to halt any further discussion of plans to back the IIisu Dam project in southeastem
Turkey, which they said was "ill conceived and a misuse of US taxpayer dollars."
An Ex-1m bank official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that the agency had received "a
preliminary request for a commitment" to support construction of the 1,200 megawatt dam on the Tigris
River, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Syrian border.
The official said the bank has had the request for most of the year, and was still waiting for additional
information before beginning an to evaluation. The official would not disclose who had sought the funding, or in what amount.
The US Export-Import Bank is a government agency that guarantees loans for US companies that want
to compete abroad and makes loans to foreign purchasers of US goods and services. The British
government last December signaled its willingness to underwrite some of the construction costs in response to a request from the British firm Balfour Beatty for export credits worth 220 million dollars.
The entire project has been estimated to cost 1.9 billion dollars.
But the proposal has ignited a storm of protest from environmental and human rights activists as well as
from Iraq and Syria, who accuse Turkey of monopolizing the waters of the Tigris to their detriment.
In their recent letter, groups such as Friends of the Earth, the International Rivers Network, the Center
for International Environmental Law, and the Washington Kurdish Institute have charged that the dam is
planned for an area of armed conflict where the Turkish government is oppressing the ethnic Kurdish
minority. The project would require the forced re-settlement of up to 34,000 local people and could negatively impact the lives of up to 78,000, according to the letter.
"It is hard to imagine how the involuntary resettlement of up to 34,000 local people and up to 78,000
potentially impacted, mainly Kurds, will not exacerbate the human rights situation in the area,. the letter
said.
The letter charged that the Turkish government, with a "dismal resettlement record for other dam projects," lacks the resources and the political will to honor international resettlement standards.
In addition, the organizations predicted that the IIisu Dam would inundate and destroy Hasankeyf, the
only town in Anatolia that has survived since the Middle Ages and considered to be an archeological
"treasure. •
They in addition argued that the dam, which will flood some of the most fertile land in the region, could
increase the incidence of malaria and schistosomiasis .
• *.***
Sirnak: A separate republic
Kurdish Observer - 19 October 2000
Detentions and arrests of HADEP administrators continue in Simak. Cizre District Chairman Mehmet
Dilsiz has been detained on allegations that there was a PKK flag and wireless present in his home.
Dilsiz had been threatened previously by the Gendarmerie in an attempt to intimidate him into closing
the HADEP branch and resigning his position.
SIRNAK
Cizre District Chairman of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) Mehmet Dilsiz was detained by
37
Gendarmerie forces who had raided his home the other aftemoon at about 3:00. Records were written
up stating that a PKK flag arid, photographs of PKK members had,been found in his home, and thère
were attempts to'forcè Dilsiz'S family te> sign these statements. Dilsiz's family members, however, stated
that-suèh cbjssts-hadnot-beén found-in-théir hOme-and refused-to sign.-Making-a-statementconceming
the incident, Dilsjz's wife Behiye said that they had been shut up in another room during the search, and
,e>ç:plainedwhat oçcurred as, foilows: "WnattheY, dic:ihad no. relation to, a search, While we were in 'th~
"qther rooms, thèY rr'iessédup èverythiog, Later, saying that they had found some things like aiNireless;
',"aPKK 'flag, and rnIi9~ihe~,they~ried
toget us to sign a statement.' We toldthem that Sl,ich obje~ts
',,',absolütely Wf;lrehot In our hOme. We didn't sign the statement, but they brought my husbandaway with
them anyway. il
.
,Gènqarmeriè had made threats
:Meanwhile, it has beeilleamad that Dilsiz had been previously threatened to resign from HADEP. Party
administràtgr Muh.sin Gasor said that Dllsiz was among a group of administratorS that had beendetained on September 18, and continued: "We were threatened while under detention. They told us, 'Resign
and close the district headquarters. We will not let HADEP stay open here.' For our part, we said that
we would continue the .activitiesof our ,legal party. The detention of our chairman is a conspiracy. We
were waiting for something like this to happen." HADEP Cizre delegate Cemal Guven, who had been
detained on the same date, confirmed that they had been threatened and said, "They want to intimida.
te us by conspiring against our chairman. But HADEP will continue its activities,"
HADEP Simak Provincial Chairman Resul Saddak and party administrators Rustem Bayar, Mehmet
Cakar, Nihat Usai, Cengiz Balik, Rezzàk Inan, Nezir Ayan, Yakup Kur, Temel Kurar, Izzet Beige, and
Tahir Kutlu, whO were detained on' September ~4 while on their way from Batman to Simak, were arrested and sent to prison on October 1, after days of interrogation. The event, accompanied by pressure
against the HADEP members families and assertions that weapons and bombs had been found in their
vehicles, led to views that it was a conspiracy.
More HADEP members arrested
Orner Celebi, member of the Board of Directors of the HADEP Islahiye District Organization in the province of [Gaii]Antep, arid HADEP members Idris Ertugrul, Ismail Uzun, and Aydin Caliskan were brought
before the court. The four had been detained after raids on their homes were carried out on October 12
and they were brought to the Islahiye District Gendarmerie Command for interrogation. Appearing before the judge, Celebi, Uzun, and Ertugrul were arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the PKK, while
Caliskan was released.'
Meanwhile, it has been learned that Antep's Araban District Chairman Huseyin Yagci and 6 other
HADEP members were detained on October 14. The seven were interrogated at the Araban Security
Director for two days on the grounds of possession of forbidden publications, and were then released
on Tuesday.
******
Iran president denounces "sick" campaign against reform movement
TEHRAN, Oct .18 (AFP) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami denounced the "sick" campaign against
his embattled reform movement and wamed of an explosion of popular anger if his conservative rivals
continue to ignore the will of the people, reports said Wednesday.
In an emotional defence of his presidency just months ahead of the next elections, Khatami insisted he
was no hero and that the people would have to fight for their rights ~hemsèlves if reforms were to suc.
, ceed in Iran. The af'!~i-refomi campaign is "asign of historic siçkness and the domination of despotism
, '.,in Iran," Khataml told a gathering Tuesday of the nation's top students, whO have been among his mo~t
,"8,rcient supporters.
'
,
,
'
'
':He condemned
the political maneuvering thàt has seen the conservative courts close down every major
pro-reform newspaper since April and put leading journalists and critics of the clerical regime in jail or
"on trial.
"SIJPpose we silence the critics, and their questions, for a while," the state neWs agency JRNA quoted
him as saying. "These peO'ple will remain dissatisfied, and no one will be able to prevent the resulting
38
,
damage."
He added: "Why do we have to forbid one way of thinking in order to defend another, and believe that
with the removal of one person an entire way of thinking has been destroyed?" Reformists have been
battered by political setbacks and outburstsof
violence since ousting conservatives in February elections and giving Khatami his long-sought pro-reform majority in parilament.
Said Hajarian, a close Khatami ally credited with helping mastermind the reform victory, survived
assassination attempt in a Tehran street in the weeks after the election.
.
an
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei barred the new partiament from repealing press curbs
used to close down the reformist papers, costing Khatami one of his most effective political weapons.
I
The conservative-led courts, which like the police, armed forces and state media are outside Khatami's
control, have kept up the pressure on key reformist figures. The closed-door trial of an outspokesn proreform cleric, who could be facing the death sentence, concluded on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a pro-reform student conference in August was marred by days of rioting that left one dead
and dozens wounded, after a mob blocked two popular critics of the religious regime from addressing
the gathering.
Students said they were brutally beaten by govemment troops and militiamen under the direct control of
Khamenei. Khatami offered hearty praise. for students, acknowledging that they had been "III-treated"
and hailing them for their calm in the face of the pressure and violence.
But despite winning nearly 70 percent of the vote in 1997 amid enthusiastic support from students and
women, he said he should not be regarded as a "hero" and said the people were the true heroes of Iran.
'Until the day when the idea of heroism is taken up by the people
mental changes in our society, he said.
themselves,
there will be no funda-
Il
Allies say the stiff opposition has been taking its toll on Khatami, a moderate cleric and former newspaper boss. Deputy pariiament speaker Behzad Nabavl said Tuesday he believed that Khatami was losing
his taste for a bitter political fight for re-election next year.
"We are hopeful, but the president has not shown much enthusiasm"
for a second tenn, Nabavi said.
******
Barzanl expresses distrust of PKK
Ankara ...Turkish Daily News October 19, 2000
Massoud Barzani, the leader of the northem Iraqi Kurdish Democrat Party (KDP), was recently entertained at dinner by several Turkish intellectuals with Kurdish origins, reports say. Among those intellectuals present.at the dinner were Motheriand Party (ANAP) Diyarbakir Deputy Seyit Hasim Hasimi, former leader of the defunct Democratic Masses Party (DKP) Serafettin Elci, former leader of the defunct
Democracy Party (DEP) Feridun Yazar, former Mardin Deputy Ahmet Turk and former Mus Deputy
Mehmet Emin Sever.
Federated state a fact
According to those at the dinner, Barzani gave a speech in which he said that after a great struggle his
group had managed to create a federal Kurdish state in northem Iraq, and that this represented a great
opportunity for all Kurds. "No matter what our differences are, if one person finds an opportunity, all have
the right to benefit from that," said Barzani. "This is a good thing. If we can be supported on this matter, we will be pleased. It would be good if those that cannot support us do nothing to increase our already heavy burden, at least."
Touching on relations with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Barzani remarked that Saddam had already given them "autonomy" and that he was more disturbed by Turkey than by any federal Kurdish state.
Barzani said that in his correspondence with Turkey, he had addressed himself as the leader of the
Federated Kurdish State but had been reprimanded by the Foreign Ministry because of this. Barzani
said he had reminded the Turkish authorities,. "We've held elections In our country and formed a
39
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevo/ai Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
Parliament. This Parliament formed a government. I am the prime minister of that government. These
are the steps we've taken. "
-'lalabaninot
tû-betrusted'
Those who had attended the meal said that they put the issue of Jalal Talabani and his Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan (PUK) to Barzani, to which he replied that relations between Talabani and the PUK were
not good and that there was a crisis of confidence between himself and Talabani. He added they were
doing their best to get along with each other.
One Kurdish intellectual said that Barzani had not wanted to discussthe . current clashes between the
PUK and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) since he has "no trust in éither the PKK or the PUK, let
alone their leaders.
Barzani said they had offered the PKK two chances but each time it became understood that the PKK
were not to be trusted. "The only good relations to be had with the PKK is to not have relations with
them at all, n said Barzani. In the end Barzani did talk a little about the PKK-PUK clashes saying, "There
was a time when they had united against us. Talabani had wanted to use the PKK against us. However,
when his grass roots began deserting him arid the rug got pulled from under his feet, only then did he
realize the trouble he had taken on. He is now trying to rectify the situation." Barzani believes that
Taiaban i is fighting the PKK in order to win Turkey's favor.
******
Kurdish Observer
October 20, 2000
Letter to Talabani from the PKK
The PKK Council of Leaders released a statement on Wednesday saying that it had sent a letter to lea- .
der of the Patriötic Union of Kùrdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani. The letter was sent via a wounded peshrherga from Ranya named Ahmet Muhammet Hasan when he was released by the PKK. the letter
expresses the PKK's des.ire to develop political relations and negotiations in order to secure national
peace and democracy.
The PKK Council of Leaders stated that the unilateral cease fire it had declared on October 4 was beilig
observed fully on all fronts and that the PKK was continuing its self-denying efforts to secure a lasting
Kurdish peace on the basis of national democracy.
'No concrete step from the PUK'
The statement stressed that there has been no military assault or activity on the part of the PUK other
than repositioning of forces and threats since October 5, and continued: "Despite the unilateral practical steps and calls made by our party, the PUl( side has taken no concrete steps. The tense atmosphere created by the continued possibility of clashes, therefore, has not been completely overcome. n
'Let's work together for a solution'
The PKK Council of Leaders stressed that it would continue its efforts to create peace and democracy
amongst the Kurds and made the following call: "Our party wants for this to be the last clash between
Kurds. We are calling all the Kurdish parties and organizations, foremost the PUK and KDP, to work
jointly to create a lasting national peace and a democratic lifestyle and to reach solutions to all the existing problems on this basis."
PUK captives are being released
The statement said that the PKK had taken significant practical stElPSin order to make the cease fire
permanent arid to developthe foundation for negotiations to create a solution on the basis of national
PElace alid democracy, and, talçing the calls of friendly forces into consideration, has unilaterally withdrawn its forces from the fields of Asos, Mamend, and Karox, thus demonstrating that they had no
., approaçh such as ~ demand tot~,ke ,tElirÏtory from thé PUl<. The $tatement also sâid that Ahmet
,')N!ùhamm,et Has~n and wounded Orner Husé,yin Cavsin, who had bElEihtaken captive bythe glJerrilias
"'during clashes,had
been released 'and $eht tothelr homes. It ~isQ statedthat they contin't,Jed otlier.
efforts with the intention öf releasing $omeother captives, as reql,Jestedby loc:al villages and clans. The
s,tatement annourced that, barring any negative developments, some captives would be released within
the next few days.
40
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn (Jzeti
IRAN
Ceux qui veulent "dépasser Khatami"
préparent la crise
Face aux "radicaux" qui réclament
une accélération des réformes, l'auteur
de l'article défend la stratégie prudente
du président iranien.
HAYAT-E NO (extraits)
Tan
epuis quelque temps, on
entend, dans les milieux
liés au Front du 2 Khordad [mouvement réformateur, baptisé en référence à la date
de l'élection du président Khatami],
des murmures à propos de l"'aprèsKhatami" ou sur la nécessité de
"suitlre une deuxième tloie pour les
ri/ormes". Ces idées sont plus répandues parmi les étudiants et chez les
jeunes du mouvement réformateur.
Pour justifier leurs propos, ceux-ci
soulignent "l'inefftcaciu des méthodes
prudentes et lentes de la présidence",
"l'incapacité de se donner les moyens
nécessaires pour appliquer des ri/ormes"
et "la perte de fJitessede la machine des
réformes de Khatami".
En outre, ils estiment que ''l'écan
entre ks rewndications du peupk et l'action de Khatami est tel que celui-ci a
perdu de fJue les réformes et se trouw
tÜpassé par l'opinion pubIÜJue". Selon
eux, ''il est grand temps que ks mouwmenu nooaterm aillent au-delà de Khatami et se mettent au diapason des revendications de la nation ".
Personne ne peut prétendre que
les dirigeants et les simples soldats
D
du mouvement pour la démocratie en Iran ont l'expérience et les connais-
sances suffisantes pour
conduire l'action de démocratisation dans le cadre
de la loi. Si l'on accepte la
démocratie comme une
méthode précise pour atteindre des buts imprécis, on doit constater
.que tous les acteurs de
ce jeu en Iran sont de
simples amateurs. Le chemin sera
encore long avant que l'on puisse
comprendre les paroles de Voltaire
sur la liberté.
L'opinion publique a voté pour le
programme et les projets de M. Khatami, qui a quatre ans pour les mettre
en pratique. Tant qu'il est à la tate de
l'exécutif et fidèle aux idéaux nationaux qui dictaient ses slogans électoraux, on ne peut lui interdire de
mener le bateau. des réformes. Je suis
profondément convaincu que "dépasser Khatami" signifie provoquer une
crise. Que ceux qui sont pressés se
préparent dès aujourd'hui pour les
futures élections et nous proposent
les solutions qui conviennent I
L'histoire politique iranienne de
ce siècle est remplie d'épisodes où le
mouvement de la société civile s'est
développé et qui, à cause des radicalismes, ont débouché sur l'instabilité et le totalitarisme. Nous en
avons été témoins lors de la révolution constitutionnelle [en 1905] et à
.t.Dessin
de Mahmoud Kahil
paru dans AsharC'
al-Awsat,Umdres
l'époque du gouvernement du Premier ministre Mohammad Mossadegh [chef du gouvernement de 1951
à 1953. Mossadegh a nationalisé le
pétrole iranien, mais ilfut renversé par
un complot organisé par la CIA],
quand une grande partie de l'activité
du parti Toudeh [communiste prosoviétique] consistait à combattre ce
gouvernement. De la marne manière,
nous avons vu comment les Fedayin
du peuple [marxiste-léniniste] se sont
comportés à l'égard du gouvernement de Mehdi Bazargsn entre 1980
1982 [modéré, il fut le premier chef
du gouvernement après la révolution
de 1979 ; il avait fondé le Mouvement
pour la liberté en Iran en 1964]. TIest
intéressant de constater que, chaque
fois que les réformes se sont heurtées
à des réactions radicales, l'atmosphère
politique du pays s'est rapidement
dégradée, pour aboutir à l'obstruction et à l'anéantissement.
TIest certain que le président iranien est mieux informé que quiconque de l'atmosphère qui règne
dans les milieux dirigeants et c'est
pourquoi lui seul peut déterminer la
vitesse des réformes. TIsait que toute
réforme est un processus lent mais sßr
et, pour cette raison, il ne pourra pas
suivre le chemin des ultraradicaux.
o
o
o
N
lJ.l
~
al
o
IU
o
'"
N
:>
o
et
o
.
N
'"
Z
.....I
«
Z
o
~
z
~
lJ.l
I-
Z
~
lJ.l
;;:
~
:>
o
u
........
41
Turkish press cries victory over aborted Armenian genocide bill
20 Oct 2000
, byAgence-f='rance--Rresse-
,
ANKARA, Oct 20 (AFP) - The Turkish press rejoiced Friday over the withdrawal from the US Congress
of a draft resolution accusing the Ottoman Empire for Armenian genocide early last century, describing
the move as a victory for Ankara.
The resolution was pulled from the floor of the US House of Representatives early Friday after US
President Bill Clinton asked the house not to pass the draft citing national security interests.
"Clinton
puts the brakes on thegenocide bill," cried the liberal Radikal daily on its front page.
Thelslamist
Zaman daily suffic,edby saying: "Thank you Clinton".
The mass-circulation Hurriyel daily underlined
that Clinton's "rare" warning had pef'$uaded House Speaker Dennis Hastert to withdraw the controversied bill, which It said was piJrely ejection-motivated.
"The last-minute letter scared the vote hunter (Hastert), " the daily said.
In his letter, Clinton said that
the draft resolution'could harm Wa$hington's, "sigriificant interests" in the Middle East, Central Asia, the
Balkans and the Gulf, Which r~quire Ankara's cooperation.
'Hi.,Irriyet'èàidthat
Ankara,'s favourable moves to Its southern neighbour Iraq,such as plans to open.a
,',second bord~r gate and iricrèaseits diplolTlatic rePresentation to ~mba$$adorial '~vel,' had p1ayeda .role
'. ,'iri:\Nashingtpn's firm st~nc~ against thé pill.The
r!'lsolution, which saYs that 1.5 Armenians were killed
' 'élri,d another 500,000 werèl dnyenfrom lhèirhOmes between 1~15 and 1923 in th~Ottoman Empire, h~d
,unleashed warnings from Turkey'that its adoption woûld seriously damageties with the US. 'In tbe first
"official reliction to come from Turk~y, Foreign Minister Ismail C~rt:l said in a statement early Friday that
Turkish-American relations had been "saved from a grave threat".
The origina:i draft resolution had
been "full of injustices against Turkey," he said.'
Turkey categorÎcally rejects claims of genocide and
li1äintains that some 300,00Ö Armenians and thousands of Turks were killed in what was internal fighting d!Jring the dissolution years of the Ottoman 'Empire,
'
******
Ecevit Thanks Clinton, Says Withdrawal of Armenian Bill Shows Turkeys
Strength
TRT 1 Television 20 Oct 00 [Statement
by Turkish Prime Minister Bulerit Ecevit]
[Ecevit] The withdrawal of the unjust draft Armenian resolution from the agenda of the US House
of Representatives is a very important event.
It demonstrates Turkey's strength and the value the
United'States attaches to Turkey.
US President Bill Clinton, in particular, was very influential in bringing aboul this outcome. From
the onset of the process, Mr. Clinton has been insisting on the withdrawal of this unjust bill, and he has
now attained results. In addition, the US secretary of state, the secretary of defense, the former secretaries of state and defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs
of Slaff, as well as certain leading generals and politicians greatly contributed to this ol,.ltcome.
Moreover, former US Ambassador to Ankara Mr. Parris'and new US Ambassador to Ankara Mr. Pearson
also made significant contributions. Armenian Patriarch in Turkey Mutatyan also made valuable contributions.
All the parties in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, our president, our government, our General
Staff, our Foreign Ministry, our Ambassador to Washington Baki IIkin and his colleagues, and our lobby,
firm in the United States contributed greatly to this effort. I thank them all on behalf of our government. However, the greatest achievement is our national solidarity. Our national solidarity in such
national matters enables Turkey to overcome every obstacle. Today, I sent a letter of gratitude to US
President William Jefferson Clinton. I am now reading it to you:
Mr. President, I convey to you the heartfelt gr~titude of the Turkish people and our government for
the efforts you exerted together with your colleagues with the aim of preventing the adoption of an unjust
resolution at the House of Representatives. Your determined initiatives have effectively contributed to
the withdrawal of the resolution. The Turkish-US strategiepartnership, friendship, and solidaiity will
gain a new impetus as a result of1his achievement. You will always be remembered as a real friend
of Turkey. I extend my best wishes and sinc~re respect.
42
Turkey pays Iranians for botched 1999 air raid
Reuters - 18 Oct 2000
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said Wednesday it had paid money to neighboring Iran to help the victims
of a mistaken air strike by Turkish planes in a border zone last year.
Iran had demanded an apology and compensation for what it said was a bombing raid by Turkish plane.
that killed five people and wounded 11. Ankara at first denied involvement, and still refuses to use the
word "compensation," but agreed to launch an investigation. Turkey often conducts air and ground ope
rations against separatist Kurdish guerrillas in the area where its borders meet Iran and Kurdish-I.",I,:
northern Iraq.
"We have provided some amount of aid ...in order to ease the pain of those who suffered from the incident," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "This subject is now history, in the framework of friendly,
neighborly, trusting relations between the two countries." He declined to specify how much Turkey had
paid or to make any further comment.
Ties between officially secular Turkey and Islamic Iran have long been soured by Turkish accusations of
Iranian backing for Turkish Kurd separatist rebels and Islamic militants. Iran in return accuses Turkey of
supporting Iranian opposition forces and condemns its close relations with Israel.
******
NEW IRANIAN DEFECTOR THREATENS
RFE/RL
IRAN REPORT
Vol. 3, No. 40
23 October 2000
RELATIONS WITH TURKEY
The recent defection to Turkey by an Iranian military
officer as well as testimony by Turkish Islamic militants
threaten to harm bilateral relations between Tehran and Ankara.
The current problems in these ties arose when Iranian
Lieutenant Qolam Ali Feleksiyer crossed the border on 2
October and requested asylum from Turkey. During his
questioning by Turkish military intelligence,
Istanbul's NTV
reported on 16 October, he revealed a great deal about Iran's
aid to the Kurdi'stan Workers' Party (PKK) and about Iranian
intelligence operations against Turkey. Feleksiyer said that
the PKK has been given shelter near the Van-Hakkari
line.
Iranian soldiers cannot enter their camps but the PKK cannot
enter Iranian residential areas, either. Cross-border
smuggling of drugs and other goods is tolerated, he added,
because Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)
gets information about Turkey from the smugglers. PKK
official Osman Ocalan, furthermore, met with a delegation of
MOIS officials in Badinabad on 6 October to request increased
funding, arms, and logistics support. He also asked Iran to
release Murat Sapan, who had been detained for drug
trafficking, "Hurriyet" reported.
There also have been developments
in related cases of
Turkish Islamic militants who received aid from Iran. The
semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on 19 October
that Oguz Demir, a suspect in the case involving the murder
of journalist Ugur Mumcu and academics Ahmet Kisali and
Bahriye Ucok, had escaped to Iran 20 days earlier. The
Republican Prosecutor's Office, furthermore,
filed a second
lawsuit in the case, Anatolia reported on 17 October.
According to the indictment, suspect Rusta Aytufan testified
that he and two comrades went to Tehran, then to orumieh,
where they received 15 days of military training. They also
were trained in the use of demolitions and rocket-propelled
grenades. In early-October,
Murat Urgun of Turkish Hizballah
admitted that MOIS officials with whom he interacted told him
to gather information about the Incirlik airbase, the
43
------
-------------------
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka,Çapê-Rivista
Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti
"Milliyet" daily reported. Urgun added that "Tehran's
objective is to harm Turkey'.'
A Turkish trial of Islamic militants that ended in ,lateAU9:1.l.st
had r~ached _the same _conclusion. The 70-pag~decision
said that the "role of Iran, even if indirect, in the
establishment
and activities of the terrorist [Islamic
Movement] organization has been proven." It continued,
"Milliyet" reported, that "these actions have been supported
with arms and funds by the Iranians." One defendant in the
case was sentenced to death and four others received life
sentences for the assassination
of journalist Cetin Ernec and
other actions.
Iran has rejected the allegations of any connection with
Turkish terrorists -- PKK, Hizballah, or otherwise. Deputy
Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh was given, however, the
Turkish file about the Hizballah case with the expectation
that some explanations would be forthcoming. According to
"Hurriyet," documents, compact discs, and floppy discs
provided details about Hizballah training in Iran; meetings
with the MOIS in Qom, Tehran, Ankara, and Istanbul; and
photographs
of Hizballah personnel in Iran. Abdullah Ocalan's
testimony and photographs also detailed Iran's support for
the PKK.
Semih Idiz, a journalist with the Ankara "Star" and a
noted expert on Turkish-Iranian
relations, told RFE/RL in
August that',the' differences between Turkey and Iran are to be
expected. "Turkey as a state model was diametrically
opposed
to what Iran represented just as the system in Iran is
opposed to what Turkey'S secularismrepresents.
Turkey is
important because it is an Islamic country and so it is
important to people who want a model of a liberal
environment, an easier environment, with less pressure from
the mullahs."
Ozdam Sanberk of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies
Foundation
(TESEV) in Istanbul told RFE/RL that political
tensions must be balanced: "Definitely, you may have some
problems with your neighbors, you don't have only perfect
relations and cooperation, but also conflicts and
disagreements
and what is diplomacy but contradiction
management? "
Such observations were also reinforced by the fact that
the defection and the trials coincide with meetings between
Turkish and Iranian officials. A Turkish delegation led by
Interior Ministry official Saim Chotur visited Iran to
discuss security matters, such as terrorism and drug
trafficking. The Turkish-Iranian
security meetings began on
15 October, with Interior Ministry official Gholam Hussein
Bolandian representing
Iran. Also, Iran's Lieutenant-Colonel
Yakup Rezazadeh called on Igdir Governor Mustafa Tamer to
discuss border violations,
the semi-official
Anatolia news
agency reported on 7 October.
The Turkish delegation in Tehran met with Interior
Minister Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari,
Iranian state radio reported
on 15 October and Anatolia reported on 16 October. At this
meeting, Musavi-Lari
told the Turks that Israeli is a "symbol
of state terrorism .... We hope that Turkey would attribute
necessary importance to Iran's concern on the issue ..
" MusaviLari added that Iran is concerned about Turkey's relations
with Israel and Israeli experts' presence in Turkey.
The Turks also offered to aid those who suffered in
their inadvertent aerial bombardment of a settlement in
Piranshahr in July 1999. Turkey had denied bombing Iran, but
it also said it would pursue terrorists
(see "RFE/RL Iran
Report,"26
July 1999). Turkey refuses to call this money
"compensation,"
while Iran refuses to say how much money it
received, but both sides seem happy to put the matter behind
them. (Bill Samii)
44
..
.,
Sixcorps de clandestins kurdes
déversés au bord d'une route italienne
en route veröle nord de l'europe, iM öontrn0rt6 CMphyxiéö dam un camion.
R•••
denotTecorre6pondant
A
côté de bouteilles en plastique, de cartons et de
détritus, les corps des six jeunes hommes ont
été balancés, àl'aube,comme de vulgaires sacspOubelle au bord d'une route nationale. Décédés une dizaine d'heures plus tôt dans la remorque
du camion qui les transportait depuis la Grèce, ilsont
été retrouvés mercredi matin à cinq kilomètres de
Foggia, dans les Pouilles. «Ils sont morts par asphyxie
dans un endroit confiné», a immédiatement conclu
Antonio Pedone, le médecin légiste appelé sur les
lieux. Selon les premières indications, ils'agirait de six
clandestins kurdes, âgés de 18 à 30 ans, qui tentaient
de rejoindre le nord de l'Europe via la Grèce et l'Italie. Le drame rappell~ celui des 58 immigrés thinois
retrouvés morts étouffés, en juin, dans un camion à
Douvres, au sud de l'Angleterre. Mais, cette fois, le
chauffeur, sans doute aidé par une ou plusieurs autres
personnes, a eu le temps de se débarrasser de sa cargaison humaine.
Mafias. La police de Foggia, qui a commencé à reconstituer le déroulement du drame, estime que les
six hommes sont vraisemblablement décédés alors
que le véhicule se trouvait encore dans le ferry reliant
Patras (en Grèce) et Brindisi ou Bari (ports italiens).
«Ils sont salIs doute morts d'abord emportés par une
vague torpeur, puis par 1111 sommeil profond», a résumé Antonio Pedone. Selon le médecin légiste, les
ongles cassés des clandestins montrent qu'ils ont
cherché, en vain, à percer un trou dans la carrosserie
pour faire passer un peu d'air.
Une fois débarqué sur les côtes italiennes, le chaut:'
feur, qui s'est rendu compte du décès de ses passagers,
parcourt quelques kilomètres sur l'autoroute Bari-
Bologne, puis la quitte au niveau de Foggia, à la recherche d'un endroit tranquille. A proximité d'un
champ de vignes, le carnionneurjetteles six corps sur
l'asphalte. Autour des cadavres,les enquêteurs ont retrouvé de nombreuses boules de coton qui fournissent de précieuses informations sur la nature du
chargement. Au bout de quelques minutes, le camion
repart, écrasant dans sa manœuvre le crâne de l'un
des immigrés. «Nous avons quelques chances de'" attraper, à moins qu'il ne s'agisse d'un
véhicule en route vers l'étranuer», a Réaulièrement,
o
deS clandestins
fait savoir le commissaire de Foggia
morts sont
Antonio Caricato, qui a lancé des rerécupérés
cherches sur la vingtaine de camions
sur Its p1~
chargés de coton ayant débatqué
italiennes,jetés
.entre lundi et mercredi matin dans
I~~ =rs
les ports de Bari et Brindisi, en direcOU à la suite
tion des industries textiles du centre
du naufrap
et du nord-est de l'Italie. Entre- deSYiellllrafiots
temps, l'identification des corps a
sur lesquels
ils6talent
débuté. ~ méd~c~ légiste a relevé
embarqués.
les empremtes digttales de chacune
des victimes. Sèule l'une d'entre elles possédait, dans
ses poches, des papiers: un permis de séjour grec, délivré le 25 septembre à un Kurde du nom de Mustafa
Amir. Originaire d'Irak, le clandestin n'était âgé que
de 22 ans. Hier,les enquêteurs sont parvenus à mettre
un nom sur deux autres clandestins.
«Nous sommes confrontés à une formidable organisation criminelle internationale», ont rappelé les policiers à propos de ces passages organisés par les mafias locales à partir de la Grèce ou de l'Albanie. Mais,
selon la brigade financière italienne, les clans turcs
seraient également partie prenante de ce trafic, en
élaborant à partir d1stanbulles voies d'immigration
clandestine, soit par la mer,diréctement à destination de la Calabre, soit vers les Pouilles, remontant
d'abord, par la route, vers les Ports des côtes orientä1es de l'Adriatique. Les passages coûteraient à
chaqw.e candidat à l'émigration entre.7000 et
20000 francs. Des voyages qui, de plus en plus souvent, se terminent en tragédie.
.Routine". En septembre 1999,quattePakistanais,
eux aussi morts asphyxiés au fond d'un camion,
avaient été retrouvés au bord d'une route dans les environs de Mantoue. Régulièrement, des clandestins
morts sont récupérés sur les plages des Pouilles ou de
Calabre, jetés à la mer par leurs passeurs ou à la suite
du naufrage des vieux rafiots sur lesquels ils étaient
embarqués. En décembre 1999, ce sont ainsi 59 personnes qui meurent noyées au large des côtes albanaises. Quelques semaines plus tÔt, le 1er novembre,
quatorze Kurdes agonisent dans les cales d'un bateau
qui prend feu. Le même jour, un Zodiac fait naufrage
à Torre di Cavallo, dans les Pouilles. Bilan: quatre
morts, dont deux jeunes femmes moldaves, et dix
disparus. En mai, treize personnes décèdent dans le
canal d'Otrante, après que leur embarcation en provenance d'Albanie eut heurté une vedette de la brigade financière partie à leur poursuite. Enjuillet, une
collision similaire tue deux policiers italiens et trois
clandestins. «Désonnais, on ne compte plus les morts,
s'est indigné l'archevêque de Lecce, Cosmo Francesco Ruppi; le phLÇdécollcertant, c'est que c'est devenu
une routine, une sorte d'incident deparcours d'une situation qui devient chaque jour plus sombre, chaque
jour plus terrible." •
en
ERIC JOZSEf
o
o
o
N
III
Ill:
III
o
lU
o
o
N
Le6 COTp6ont été retTOuvé6 mercredi, d Foggia. damle 600 de L'ItaUe. Agé6 de 18 d 30
am. lu clande6tim
6OI\tprobabtementmom
durant la traver6ée en terry.
45
Kurds battle daily for ethnic survival
Dallas Moming News October 20, 2000
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Ismet Aksufs tiny basement apartment seemed. anything but a hotbed of terrorist activity the day the
police entered his living room in April and took him away for questioning. At the time, Aksu, a Kurdish
fniit vendor, was sitting on the floor beside his Wife and six children, describing the difficUlties of survival in the big city. The fan-lily arrived in IstanbUl three years ago, he was explaining, after govemment
troQps set fire t9 th~ir viliage. in southeastern Turkey and forced all its inhabitants to flee. lWe were invoived in the Kurdish political struggle,Î Aksu said. lFor that, the soldiers burned our houses.î
i;-)iike the residents of ~ne~tlmated3.4ÖO
otherKurÇijsh viU~ge~ and naliilëts forcibly evaèuated Since
the Aksus founçl themsèhies 'hQr'nèl~ss, $trippeCf of their :property and abandoned bythe state .6
'<:_~]Ïin the name of fighting terrorism. Sucn an experience is hardly exceptional in the Kurdsf long béttle
":f.o'j- ethnic recognition.
.
::A@$4,
,.
"
.
.
Still, it is a story that Turkeyfs govemment ~pparently will go to great lengths to !(eep hidden from the
ö.ütside world, even if it means sending po!ice into Kurdish living rooms. Police j~::':?;~:;:,dAksUfs deten.tion because h~ was speaking to foreigners in his apartment, an activity they labelled Isuspiciousî.
Tanzer Ozkut, spokeswoman for the prime rninisterfs office in Ankara, said the govemment would not
comment or permit any interviews with officials regarding the Kurdish conflict. She said the govemment
regards the entire subject as linsulting and provocativei.
Dwarfs Kosovo
For the millions of Kurds who inhabit this region, it is often hard to understand how the nationalist aspirations of Palestinian!:!, Kosovars or Chechens can dominate so much of the worldfs news coverage,
while the Kurdish conflièt receives so little attention.
lThis is a situation that actually dwarfs whatfs going on in Kosovo,i said Mike Amitay, director of the
Washington Kurdish Institute. About 25 million people, mostly Muslims, identify themselves as ethnic
~~r'qS, with sizable populations straddling the borders of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia, Armenia and
~e!'baijan.
the Kurds speak a distinct language that bears little resemblance to Turkish, the Farsi spoken by
Irariians or the Arabic spoken by Iraqis and Syrians. iNo one disputes that they are the worldfs largest
ethnic grQUp without a state of their own,i writes Jonathan C .. Randal, author of a 1999 book about the
regIon known informally as Kurdistan.
Thelow-intensity war the Kurds have been waging in the Middle East tends to gamer major headlines
onlY when their conflict intersects with some other form of regional upheaval, such as the 1991 Persian
Gulf War. After multinational forces ousted lraqisarrny from Kuwait, the U.S. govemment spent millions
of ctollars in a campaign to persuade Kurds to revolt in northem Iraq, with an eye toward ousting
President Sadd am Hussein from power.
Hussein retaliated by sending tens of thousand of troops, tanks and artillery to northern Iraq. For months
after the end of the Gulf War, the world watched as up to 2 million. Kurds fled into southeastem Turkey
and northem Iran. The refugee crisis recalled another mass e~odus in 1988, after Husseinfs forces
attacked the northem Iraqi city of Halabja with poison gas, killing what are estimated to be thousands
of Kurds.
..
Both spectacles were ironic considering that many of the same Kurdish refugees had fJed Into Iraq to
escape attack by the Turkish military. Other campaigns have been .waged against Kurds in Iran and
Syria.
Turkey'
The father of modem Turkey, Mustafa Ke.mal Ataturk, was adamant that unquestioning loyalty to the
state, without regard for ethnic or cùltural distinction, was the only way the new Turkish nation could
'::':sUrvive. A~demiçs l?äy th~ Turkish govemmenthas' ~peht up to $179 billion to fight the nationfs largest
\;rêbel group, the. KUrdistan WorkerS Party, Or'PKK, which the gQv,emment blames for the cteaths of thou':
., :'-sanctsof soldiers and civilians.
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46
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-RivistaStampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basln Ozeti
Eleven southeastem provinces, inhabited overwhelmingly by Kurds, have been under various states of
emergency martiallaw since 1987. Officially, though, Turkey does not regard itself as having been in a
state of war during the 16-year effort to shut down the PKK.
Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader and military commander, was captured in Nairobi, Kenya, in February
1999 and has since been convicted of treason and terrorism. He faces death by hanging. Since his
arrest, Ocalan has renounced the Kurdish armed struggle and called on the PKK to give up its weapons.
The 30,000 to 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, who have died in Turkeyis Kurdish conflict are described
by the govemment as victims of lPKK terrorismî. The estimated 500,000 to 2 million Kurds who have
been forced from their southeastem villages over the last decade are not war refugees, a government
official in Ankara said, but leconomic migrantsî.
lThe govemment has always seen the issue as socioeconomic, rather than ethnic,ii said Metin Heper,
a Turkish political scientist at Bilkent University in Ankara. To suggest otherwise in public is a potential
criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, as numerous politicians, journalists, human rights activists and Kurdish refugees have discovered.
Wou paya high price for your wOrk,Î said Zeynel Abidin Kizilyaprak, a Kurdish joumalist who has spent
six years in prison for articles he published about the Kurds. lThere are three things you never do: First,
you can never say or write the word ëKurdistanJ If you write, for example, ëNorth Kurdistan,i you go
straight to jail,i he said. lSecond, you never criticize Ataturk or the system he put in place. Third, you
can criticize the govemment, but you cannot ever criticize the Turkish state.î
References to Kurdistan, Kizilyaprak said, suggest support for a Kurdish nation. Radio and television
broadcasts in Kurdish also are banned. The Kurdish language is prohibited in government buildings,
schools or official statements. The use of any red, green and yellow colour combination also is forbidden in public, because those are the colours of the Kurdish flag.
At least 24 govemment agents or policemen, most in plainclothes, were assigned to follow the two
Dallas joumalists during their three-week trip across Turkey. In the southeastem city of Mardin, seven
plainclothes policemen accompanied the joumalists to an interview with a monk in a monastery. The
policemen insisted their presence was for the joumalistsi protection. Police demanded to know all interview questions in advance.
Photographs showing the heavy presence of military installations, police stations, arms, tanks and
armored vehicles were forbidden. Also prohibited were photos or visits to rural homes burned by Turkish
soldiers or Village Guards.
Since 1984, the PKK has planted bombs that maimed hundreds of civilians, eaming the rebels a place
on the U.S. State Departmentis list of intemational terrorist groups. The army has evacuated villages to
reduce logistical support for the PKK. It has installed thousands of the pro-Turkish Village Guards to
bolster the govemment military presence.
lThis level of violence has separated the Kurds from the Turks, maybe permanently,Î said Kani Xulam,
director of the Washington-based American-Kurdish Information Network. 11donit mean to say 1he
Kurds are angels. Theyive made their mistakes too.î
Ocalanis rebels have been known to kill entire Kurdish families, including children, in retaliation for one
family memberis decision to join the Village Guards. The PKK also has attacked tourist sites and killed
foreigners as part of its campaign to destabilize the country.
lrl Diyarbakir, Kurds must obtain a police permit to hold a wedding reception. To speak out publicly in
support of Kurdish nationalism is to risk imprisonment. lLetis say I give a speech next week. If I use the
phrase ëKurdish societyi in this speech, I will be imprisoned for three years. I can say ëKurdsi but not
ëKurdish society.iT said Kemal Pekoz, IStanbul chairman of the political party Hadep.lIf I say ëKurdistani
to refer to the southeast, I can be imprisoned for 15 years.î
Another Hadep senator, Leyla lana, is serving a 15-year sentence for speeches she made in support
of Kurdish rights, an action that courts deemed as providing support for the PKK.
Wou can plant bombs, set fires, shoot machine guns and killlots of people,Î said Zan ais lawyer, Yusuf
Alatas. lOr, you can simply write an article. Either way, you can be convicted of being a terrorist.î
47
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Ozeli
Memo Links Bir to Plan Against Pro-Kurd Journalists, Politicians
Yèni Safak 21 Oct 00
by NazlHlieak - - -
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Do you remember how some of our colleagues were once exposed in the headlines of Hurriyet and
Sabah? Cengiz Candar and Mehmet Ali Birand were labeled as PKK collaborators based on a testimony allegedly given by Semdin Sakik.
Later, we read confessions made by Can Atakli, a journalist, which were published in the magazine
Okuz. Atakli said Cevik Bir, then the Second Chief of Staff, had forced the newspaper's editorial staff
to publish the news accusing Candar and Birand. "A general, who had attached a text he had written
to Semdin Sakik's testimony, accused Cengiz Candar and Mehmet Ali Birand. He threatened to ruin
the newspaper if it refused to publish the text," he said.
The memorandum, which is published in today's edition of Yeni Safak, confirms Atakli's allegations.
Cevik Bir. issued instructions to discredit some journalists, such as Cengiz Candar and Mehmet Ali
Birand. Bir also recommended that Yavuz Gokmen, the Altan brothers [Mehmet Altan, Ahmet Altan],
and others be included in the same package if deemed necessary.
Psychological Warfare
This is the psychological warfare about which I was talking.
The most important elements of this psychological warfare are some reliable(!) columnists, editors,
and owners of newspapers.
The method is always the same: Information gathered is formulated in a manner commensurate
::'With the goal and then drafted as an ~id,~-memoir to be distributed to the m,edia. In this conte~, inforrn~tion gathered frQm existing testimonies is som~tim.es çomplernented by SOmeotner information.
Then, the$e information and aide-memoirs, together with additions made to them, are sent to one
or more "influential columnists" selected for this purpose. The aim is to discredit .intemal enemies ..'i .
This internal enemy was sometimes a political party (HADEP[Pe()ple's
Democracy Party] or Virtue
Pa,rty [FP]), sometini.es a politician (Selim Ensarioglu - DYP [True Path Party], Fethullah Erbas-Van/FP,
Abdulmelik Firàt-ErzUrum/DVP, etc.) and sometimes a businessmen or a journalist (Cengiz Candar,
Mehmet Ali Birand~ Yalcin KucUk, Mahir Kaynak, Yavuz Gokmen, Mehmet Altan and Ahmet Altan, etc.),
or an association (Human Rights Association).
FP and Politicians
In fact, there was an opportunity to take all the credit for an achievement:
tured. Seizing this opportunity, Cevik Bir immediately prepared an action plan.
.defame "internal enemies. I;>ylinking them to the PKK.
Semdin Sa,kik was capHe tried to discredit and
Take a look àt what was written about the Virtue Party:
"Purpose: To discredit the Virtue Party by proving that the Welfare Party was cooperating with the
Preparation of an aide-memoir emphasizing the theme thatthe FP is going to cooperate with the
PKK during the next eiection period. To convey information, derived from Semdi" Sakik's testimony,
related to the COmmon goal pursued by the Welfare Party and the separatist organization to one of the
influentiàl Columnists and to TV stations. To ensure the preparation of an aide-memoir by compiling
information gathered in line with the specified objective ....
PKk.
Politicians are also singled out as targets in Cevik Bir's ·powerful, action plan: "To launch a letter
campaign to ensure thal poiiticians are discredited within their own parties and that their political careers
are tamished by adding information to exiSting information gathered (Semdin Sakik's testimony)."
Are Courts Independent?
I hope that this memorandum is fabricated and not true.
Maintaining a psychological warfare that would demoralize the enemies of our country would be a
48
l
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti
normal thing to do, but we could not approve of any unit of our army being involved in arbitrary defamation campaigns against political parties, politicians, journalists, and businessmen, who have been
made the targets of such campaigns.
Even if the content of this memorandum is true, I hope that the action plan eventually did not go a
step beyond Cevik Bir's designs.
,
..
It should not be the duty of the Turkish Armed Forces to expose journalists, to prevent political parties from taking part in elections, or to slander them by labeling them as PKK collaborators.
Let me remind you of a sentence on the third page of the memorandum: "To ensure that this political party is prevented from taking part in the general and local elections, anticipated to be held in 1999,
by discussing this matter with the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals." This
sentence describes one of the methods to be used against the HADEP. How could one now claim that
the courts are independent? We recall that Vurai Savas, .the chief public prosecutor of the Supreme
Court of Appeals, later applied to the Constitutional Court with a request for preventing the HADEP from
taking part in the elections. Again, we heard during that period that a great pressure was put on merTl~
bers of the Constitutional Court to convince them to ban the HADEP from competing in the elections.
Unfortunately, some events (the exposure of Cengiz Candar and Mehmet Ali Birand, the stance taken
against the HADEP and the FP) indicate that the action plan is not a fabricated document.
There are probably other "powerful action plans" leaked to "friendly journalists .• I used to consider
some unexpected attacks made by some columnists against me as a part of the psychological warfare. Now, I have the document proving this connection.
******
Turkish troops kill six PKK rebels suspected of murdering villagers
AFP 21 Oct 2000
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Oct 21 (AFP) - 18h05 - TurKish troops killed six Kurdish rebels in southeastern
Turkey, during clashes with militants suspected of murdering three villagers earlier in the week, local
authorities said Saturday.
The clashes ocurred in a rural area near the city of Hakkari, during an operation against Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) militants, held responsible for the death of three villagers Wednesday, the government's emergency rule headquarters in Diyarbakir, said in a statement.
PKK rebels on Wednesday captured four villagers picking walnuts near the village of Kavakli, and shot
dead three of them, added the statement. The fourth man escaped and informed the security forces of
the incident. The killings are the first known PKK attack against civilians since September 1999, when
the organisation announced it was ending its 15-year-old armed campaign for self-rule in southeast
Turkey, a senior local official told AFP. But in January the PKK said that two small splinter groups had
refused to obey party orders to withdraw from TurKish territory, warning they may continue the fight.
The powerful Turkish military has sought to down-play the PKK's peace bid, describing it as a .ploy" and
saying the rebels should either surrender or face the army.
However, clashes between government troops and PKK rebels have notably scaled down since the
peace bid was made, following peace calls from condemned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, on death row
in a Turkish jail. The three slain villagers were buried in a vnlage in the neighboring province of Van on
Saturday, reported the Anatolia news agency. The mayor of Van, a member of the pro-KUrdish People's
Democracy Party (HADEP), condemned the killings in a speech during the funeral .• Our country cannot
tolerate more funerals. We condemn with hatred those responsible,. Sahabettin Ozarslaner said.
HADEP, which backs a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish conflict and a recognition of the Turkish Kurds'
cultural rights, still faces a possible ban for its alleged links to the PKK, outlawed by Ankara. The Kurdish
conflict has claimed some 36,500 lives.
******
49
Revue de Presse-Press Revi~-Berhevoka
Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti
A call to peace from capturècl peshmergas
Kurdish Observer 24 October 2000
SULEVMÀNIVA
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Peshmergas who are in the custody of the Kurdistan WorkerS' Party (PKK) issued a statement on
Sunday callingon the Kurdish public to take action for peace. The captives said that the solution to the
Kurdish problem lies. in peace between the Kurdish organizations. The captive peshmergas said: aWe
hope that this request and our call will not be forgotten. a In their statement, the captive peshmergas called out to the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and to all parties and pOlitical movements, along with
clan chiefs and religious leaders.
The statement said that, .Our desire and expectation from you is that you put all your strength and efforts
into achieving peace anc;!dialogue .• The statement, saying that they wanted all circles to take action to
asslJre that Kurdish plood would never again be spilt by the hand of another Kurd, also noted that the
Kurdish organizations could never achieve sLlccesS as long asthey did not solve the problems between
them through peacefulmeans. The captive peshmergas called on Kurdish institutions, political parties,
recognized circles and the PKK and PUK to immediately take initiatives to resolve their existing problems.
The namesof the peshmergas who released the statement are as follows:
Mehmet Sergo Huseyin, Ahmet Resul Muhammet, Muhammet Resul Muhammet Sex, Xidir Hasan
Ibrahim, Ibrahim Ahmet Ali, Xidir Mina Xidir, Aram Muhammet, Heme Siwan, Mesut Heme Rustem.
Osman Ismail Ali. Pistevan Resul Ahmet. Muhammet Resul Heme Resit, Adil Ali Mevlut, Abdullah
Bebekir. Lokman Sexsa. Heme Halit Resul Alleh, Suleyman Abdullah Nino, Asur Resit Mustafa, Aram
Refik Mustafa. Mehdi Mina Heme, Cabbar Mustafa Bapir, Umit Mahmut Hamza, Azat Salih Rustem,
Kadir Xidir Sexi, Suleyman Xidir Suleyman, Resul Rijo Sevdin, Rustem Azi~ Ibrahim. Omer X~dir
Huseyin, Isyar Ahmet Xidir. Pirat Huseyin Pirot, Hemin Melle Mire. Tahir Sahap Sadik, Faqir Kadir
Sexedil and Fethi Xidir Abdullah.
******
PKI( Group of 300 To Infiltrate Into Country
Anatolia 24 Oct 00
Ankara (AA) -- Information h.as been received that the terrorist PKK organization has decided to bring
a group of 300 into the country and to enable these members to work in small groups in the rural regions
of Diyarbakir, Erzurum. and Simak.
It is .report~d that the décision of the PKK. which has conveyed to the public the message that athe
period of armed struggle isovèr"in a bid to politicize itself, to strengthen and reorganize its armed units
is an indication that the terrorist organization has..not renounced.its armed actions.
.
.
'.t is reportedthat the PKK has adopted decisions such. as "appointing Cemil Bayik to head the armed
forpes and Nizamettin Tas and Duran Kalkan as Bayik's deputies,. "reorganizing its armeJd units in
gr9L1psof no more than eight to ten people following the organization's heavy defeat,. "ordering the
units in Turkey to use light arms," "resolving the problems between the PKK and the Iraqi Kurdistan
Patriotic Union and moving the armed units in this region to other areas, a amaking a plan to gain the
people's support and implementing it in view of the fact th~t the success of armed units is impossible
without the support of the people, a and "infiltrating a group of 300 into Turkey to enable its members to
take action in small groups in the rural regions of Erzurum, Simak, and TuncelL.
Experts on terrorism have stated that the PKK has been split into various groups that make different
decisions simultaneously because "the central authority has lost its power during the last year .•
•*****
50
October 24,2000
By SAJID RIZVI
Britain says Iraqi Kurdish area Is an example to Saddam
LONDON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Iraq's Kurdish-administered northern region has set an example President
Saddam Hussein should follow to ease the sufferingof his people, Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain
said Tuesday.
Hain spoke after meeting with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Mas'ud Barzani, who is in London to
drum up support for his group. Barzani is being urged by Western governments to reconcile differences
with rival Jalal Talibani and his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Hain said the United Nations oil-for-food
program had worked to improve food supplies and attend to health care in Iraqi Kurdistan, an area inhabited primarily by Kurds but with Assyrian/Chaldean, Turcoman and Vazidi minorities and administered
by a Kurdistan Regional Government.
"Health and nutritional indicators are much better in the Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq (than in the rest
of the country)," Hain said. There is no reason why similar improvements could not be achieved elsewhere in Iraq." But, Hain said, " the problem is Saddam."
The meeting between Hain and Barzani was part of a wider diplomatic effort to consolidate peaceful
coexistence between the rival Kurdish factions since the conclusion of the Washington Agreement between the KDP and PUK on Sept. 17, 1998. A cease-fire between the two sides has largely held and
enabled the Iraqi Kurds to restore some order to their lives. The KDP controls the northern area of Iraqi
Kurdistan that borders on Turkey and has profited from a trade in Iraqi diesel oil sold in Turkey and
Turkish goods brought into Iraq. The PUK controls the Kurdish area to the east that borders Iran which
offers much less in the way of trade. Part of the dispute between Barzani and Talibani is over the division of revenues.
Foreign Office officials said the talks centered on confidence-building measures and would likely be followed by discussions with PUK lèader Talibani, who was also invited to visit London.
Hain said Monday Hussein's government continued to hold back oil earnings meant for alleviating the
plight of Iraq's people. "Iraq's oil exports are now running at about $24 billion a year. There is more than
$16 billio~ ,a y~ar available for food, medical supplies and other humanitarian relief programs, and yet
some of it IS being held back by Iraqi bureaucracy, preventing the Iraqi people from receiving the support which we in the international community, and Britain especially, want to give them,. he said.
He cited U.N. evidence of Iraqi government funds lavished on luxury imports and amenities for
Hussein's ruling circle. In the last six months, he said, "Saddam Hussein has imported over 300 million
cigarettes, 38,000 bottles of whisky per month, 230,000 cans or 115,000 liters of beer per month, over
120,000 cans or 40,000 liters of vodka per month and almost 19,000 bottles of wine a month," Hain
said.
******
Barzani, UK Officials Discuss Aid
Kurdistan TV 25 Oct 00
In the course of his tour of Europe and his current visit to Britain, today leader Mas'ud Barzani met,
George Foulkes, parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department of International Development.
At a meeting attended by Ron White, the director of the West Asia Department and some officials of
the ministry, leader Mas'ud Barzani gave an account of the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan and the development and reconstruction process in the region.
He stressed that for the process of development and reconstruction to continue in Kurdistan, it needs
the continued support and attention of the British government, particularly in the spheres of technical
expertise and economic planning. At the meeting, international humanitarian programmes in Kurdistan
and the implementation of Resolution 986 were discussed. Leader Barzani stressed the importance
of protecting Kurdistan's 13 per-cent share.
On his part, George Foulkes, the parliamentary undersecretary at the British Department of
International Development, stressed that the British government would continue its humanitarian and
development projects in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. He called for the planning of agricultural projects
in the Mure and promoting ways of combating the effects of drought.
51
Part-lillle.Warriors
/U.S. Softens Iraq Missions
12ueslionsAboufaForgotlenWar
Pilots in jets like this
F-15C Eagle
strike swiftly if the
Iraqis open up with
anti-aircraft
weapons. 'Sometimes
we flew in such a
way that we
provoked them to
shoot at us,' one
pilot said. .
SAUDI ARABIA
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Service
I
NCIRLIK, Turkey - Most of the year, Bernard
Yosten flies Boeing 727s for. Americân Airlines out
of Miami. But in mid-September,
he came here for
two weeks of flying F-16 fighters in the "no-fly
zone" over'northern Iraq, where he came under fire from
anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles.
The Iraqi fire "was pretty damned close," reported
Mr. Yosten, who has since gone back to flying tourists
around the Caribbean.
To a surprising degree, Operation Northern Watch, as
the U.S. Air Force callsthis
mission, is conducted by
part-timers. Other members of Mr. Yosten's Alabama
Air National Guard unit on temporary duty here usually
fly for Delta, United, Southwest, Northwest, Federal
Express and United Parcel Service.
.
Northern Watch is characteristic
of U.S. military
missions in the post-Cold War era: It is small-scale,
open-ended and largely ignored by Americans.
Even though U.S. warplanes are routinely dropping bombs
and firing missileS, it has not been ~ issue in the pre~idential
campaign and has hardly been mentioned by the candidates.
Partly because Turkey and Arab allies want to keep their
assistance quiet, tire Defense Department makes public little
. information about the joint U.S.-British effort to prohibit Iraqi
aircraft from flying over northern and southern Iraq, thereby
protecting Kurds in the North and Shüte Muslims in the South
oppose Saddam Hussein's mIe.
But behind the official veil, the no-fly operation has undergone major changes and embarrassments
that might have
made headlines if it had a higher profIle:
e After patrolling aggressively last year, i!t a manner that one
pilot says was intended to draw anti-aircraft
the pilots have
pulled back and are avoiding known anti-aircraft emplacements. Commanders recently approved a formalorder
for the
de-escalation.
. eTheU.S.
Air Force has also stopped dropping "cement
bombs," emptied of explosives, on anti-aircraft batteries near
mosques and other sensitive sites. For the most part, it now
leaves those batteries alone.
.
eThe T~h
government has interrupted the U.S. flying
schedule several times, sometimes because it wants to bomb
. Kurdish villages in Iraq, sometimes,as a way to protest Wash. ington's refusal to sell Turkey certain precision-guided
bombs.
.
eU .S. aircraft bombed and strafed a group of Iraqi shepherds
last:ye.ar b;:cause analysts misinterpreted
satellite imagery and
who
rrre,
52
Vincent A. ParkerlNewsmakers
Photos
thought a water trough for sheep was a missile launcher.
Iraq says the U.S. air strikes have killed about 300 people,
. mostly civilians, since December 1998. U.S. officials admit there
have been casualties but insist they do not know how many.
Ian Roxborough, a historian at State University of New York
at Stony Brook, calls this "fire-and-forget
foreign policy,"
after the modern munitions that make it possiblè.
But if Northern Watch is not particularly controversial,
neither is it particularly popular. Ata recent Senate Armed
Services Committee hearing, Strom Thurmond, the conservative Soùth Carolina Republican, and Edward Kennedy, the
'liberal Massachusetts Democrat, took turns questioning it, with
. Mr. Thurmond calling it "a failure."
As the United States enters its 10th year of confronting
. Saddam Hussein, military strategists are frustrated, too. "I no .
longer have any sense of what the 'containment'. of Iraq is all
about, " said a retired army.colonel, Andrew Bacevich, now a
military expert at Boston University. "We just fly missions and
drop bombs from time to time because we've been doing it for
I 0 years and no one can stop us from doing so."
Even some of the pilots who have flown Northern Watch
missions said they did not understand why it has continued .• 'I
think almost everybody thinks it.is a waste of time," said a
National Guard pilot who has done four tours of duty.
There are some indications that the operation may end, but
not soon and not because it has achieved any enduring success.
Support for sanctions on Iraq appears to be waning both in the
Arab world and in Europe. Only Britain continues to patrol the
no-fly zones with the United States, operating reconnaissance
aircraft that do not carry weapons.
A
DAY of Operation Northern Watch, which is conducted from Incirlik Air Base, a few kilometers east .
of the Turkish city of Adana, begins with the roar of
.
F-15C fighters emerging from a hardened shelter ..
The pilots have been briefed on intelligence, weather and the
day' s mission.
.
"Puggsley,"
a captain from Alexandri~, Virginia, who.
asked that his real name not be used, climbs into his F-15, which
bristles with weaponry: heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles near
his wingtips, bigger radar-guided spam>ws on.pylons closer in
and four even bigger AMRAAM missiles under his fuselage.
He taxies to the arming area, where the missiles are activated,
and screams down the runway.
But the Air Force approach to patrolling the skies of iraq
involves much more. The fighters are followed by an RC-135
"Rivet Joint" reconnaissance jet, a Boeing 7(J7 laden with
surveillaDce gear. Next come two U.S. Navy EA-6B electronic
jammeri, then some of the Alabama Air National Guard F-I6s
carrying missiles to home in on Iraqi radar. One of the Alabama
pilots flies a jet borrowed from the Colorado Air National
Guard thatsays "Mile-HighMilitia"
on its tail.The final plane
in the 2S-aircraft "package" is a big KC-lO tanker.
As the pilots head east toward Iraq, the Syrian border is just
3S kilometers (20 miles) to their right. Some of the pilots
believe that the Syrians, who can see them on radar, report their
movements to Ba&hdad. giving Iraqi gunners about an hour's
wlU'lÙIl~ It takes that long for the American planes to travel to
the Roz, the "Restricted Operating Zone" over eastern Turkey, where the pilots get refueling and then turn south.
The pilots disagree about whether they are truly in combat
"If I can shoot, and if I'm getting shot at, yes, it's combat,"
~ed
"Sluggo,"
a lieutenant colonel from Charlevoix,
Michigan, who also asked that his name not be used.
But Lieutenant Colonel Dave "Mega" Watt scoffed. Even
though the iraqis shoot to kill, said the ~-haired
veteran of
17yearsinF-f6s,"thethreatisn'tthat
.. "
.
Mr. Yosten, the American Airlines pilot in Florida, comes
Middle. "It's not full-blown combat, but it is a
certain level of combat, " he said.
Most patrols last four to eight hours, with the fighters and
jammers flying over Iraq and then darting back to the restricted
zone to refuel two or three times. In 16,000 sorties since the
beginning of 1997, Air Force pilots bave launched more than
1,000 bombs and missiles against more than 2SO targets in
northern Iraq.
. But they are much less likely to drop bombs and shoot
missiles than they were a
~a:o.
Brigadier General Bob
ey, the American commander
of Operation Northern Watch since October, has backed away
from the confrontational tact:ÏC$ used for most of last year.
In early 1999, said Mike Horn, who flew F-ISs in two tours
of duty in Northern Watch, "soinedmes we flew in such a way
that we provoked them to shoot at us. "
Under the operation's rules of engagement, they could not
bomb unless the Iraqis fired upon them first
One sure-fire way to get the Iraqis to start shooting, Mr. Horn
recalled, was to buzz a heavily defended area north of the city of
Mosul. "F-16 guys would pop flares over Saddam Dain, which
makes a big smoke trail, and the Iraqis would open up," said
Mr. Horn, who has leftthe Air Force and now flies for American
Airlines.
.
"That's not my style," General DuLaney said in his office
just a few steps from the runway at Incirlik.
Under his command, he added, there has been a "big deemphasis on ordnance."
down in the
b~
Turk-Greek EDDIity
Mars NATO GaInes
By John Ward Anderson
WashillgtOll Post Service
ISTANBUL - A 17-day
NATO exercise designed to
showcase the new era of
friendship
between
rivals
Turkey
and Greece, but
which instead underscoœd
their continuing distrust of
each other, ended Wednesday
amid a collective sigh of relief
that the two neighbors did not
éome to serious blows.
The seven-nation military
exercise, dubbed Destined
Glory 2000, began with.high
expectations for success amid
the landing of Greek military
planes in Turkey for the first
time in 28 years. But the new
warmth between the longtime
rivals rapidly dissipated over
traditionlll military and territorial disputes, leading to tense
mock dOgfights between their
fightet .
lUld climaxing in
Greece~ angry withdrawal
from the exercise tImle days
bef()re it officially ended.
"What began as a step forward in Greece- Turkey relations became a minidisaster
and a ~ back, ,. a Western
dit'lomat m Ankara said . He
said itwas unclearwhether the
fiasco had been the deliberate
work of people opposed to
rapprochement between the
two adversaries or simply a
chain of events that oCcurred
because both countries feel
the need to react when challenged by the other.
Analysts said that it was
too early to tell whether the
dispute between the neighbors, which bave come close
to war tImle times in the last
26 years, would seriously
damage the general improvement in their relations over
the last 18 months or so. That
warming trend was nurtured
by the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers, who bave a
genuine rapport, and received
an enormous lift by the reciprocal outpouring of sympathy and aid after both were
rocked by powerful earthquakes
in August
and
Septelbber of 1999.
In the aftermath of the
quakes, Greece dropped its
long-standing ~ition
to
TulUy's
application
for
membership m the European
Union, and the countries
signed economic, education
and tourism accords.
Western sources said the
Jaœst dispute highlighted the
thorny substantive differmces
that remain between Greece
and Turkey, particularly over
territorial claims in the AeJc:an Sea and over the divided
isJaod of Cyprus.
"It's
a hiccup, not a
crisis," said the Turkish author and political analyst
Mehmet Ali Birand. "Each
side wanted to remind the other that things are not as rosy as
the press pictures them."
Some political analysts and
news reports said the dispute
might bave been fueled by
hard-liners in Greece, notably
the defense minister, ADs
Tsohatzopoulos. Grigoris Arzoglou, a spokesman for the
Greek Em6assy in Ankara,
denied that his country had
tried to provoke an incident
53
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm, Özeti
Barzani Interview: PKK.PUK Fighting, PLO, Iraq, Islamists
260ctOOp3.
by Sa'd al-Bazzaz
AI.zaman
[AI~Bazzaz] In view of the current circumstances in Palestine, do you still plan' to meet Palestinian
President Yasir Arafat? [Barzani] Yes, I will try to meet him as soon as possible, if circumstances permit. You know my strong relationship with brother President Yasir Arafat. I wiil never forget his honorable stand following the attempt on my life in Vienna in 1979. Atthe time, he secured my departure
, 'fr()m Austria anç! helpéç! me obta,in a passportunder those 'difficult circumstances. We have maintained
'<;)Urties, especially in ,light of the sensitive cohçJitionsthe PàJestiriian pepple are experiencing. I amal,so
iF:l.constanfcontact with the leaqers of othetPalestinlan
organizations. This is.in addition to our known
ties with the PLO. Many attempts were made to confuse these ties. Developments have shown that
these ties are strong.
[AI-Bazzaz] What is your reaction to the intifadah in Palestine today?
[Barzani] There was correspondence with brother President Yasir Arafat. We adopted a strong, direct
position in the statement of the political bureau. We feel the pains and suffering of the Palestinian
people. We realize their great sacrifices. Our Kurdish people support their struggle. We will strongly support this struggle lintil the Palestinian state is deClared.
As for Jerusalem, you know its special status for the Kurdish people, since it is a sacred symbol,
which has a deep-rooted place in the minds and hearts of Kurds. This isattributed to a spiritual and religious relationship. It is alsoattributed tothe honorable history of Saladin al-Ayyubi--the immortal
Kurdish commander who liberated Palestine and laid down the foundations of a very deep relationship
between the two peoples. Therefore, we stand by the Palestinian people, back them within our means,
and support their struggle. We hope that there will be a political solution, ,which heeds their right to
declare a state after they made huge sacrifices and endured many pains. They have the right to choose and decide in full and real freedom.
'
[AI-Bazzaz] Today, you are in London, which had invited Y0l,l, along with the leader of the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan [PUK], to a new meeting about the future relationship between the two parties, and
about Kurdistan in general. Have the British prepared an amendèd draft of the Washington agreement?
Or are they inviting you to discuss ttie details?
[Barzani] More than one month ago, the British Gove!'Tlment sent an invitation to me and Mr. Talabani
to holda meeting in London. I thanked it for this initiative. We welcomed any meeting, provided it is
devoted to holding new negotiations, because the Washington agreement is still valid and there is no
better alternative to it. Two other meetings were held in Washington between authorized and leading
members from the two sides. All details, interpretations, and the different 'points of view were discussed
at these two meetings. There was agreement on everything, save the issue of the speakership of the
Kurdish Parliament. Our opinion was clear, which is that we should accept the 1992 elections and their
results at the time, since the parliament exists and its speaker exists according to the results of those
elections. Or, we should skip this issue and leave it to the parliament to determine the future of its speakership when it convenes. This means that we may not resolve the issue of the parliament speakership
before it convenes. It also means that either its speaker shoUld stay or new elections should be held.
Our opinion is clear and'we explained it to the British; namely, that it is acceptable and required to
meet and hold dialogue, but that we do not need a meeting in order to discuss new interpretations of
the Washington agreement. The opinion of officials here was that there is a need to make more confidence-building attempts, and that this is the real objective of the invitation to this meeting. I can say that
we demonstrated very high flexibility--in fact, this flexibility crossed the red line--in order to untie (the
knot of the parliament speakershlp). The new offer is that the parliament should hold the first session
in Arbil, chaired'by itscurrent speaker. Then, the second session will be held in AI-Sulaymaniyah, chaired by a PUK member. The British have appreéiated this big step on our part,
, [AI-Bazzaz] What about the new fighting between the PUK and the forces of the PKK (Kurdistan
Workers Party Qf Turkey)? You arè now outside, thi$.military conflict, which is taking place in thé
areas, but it seems that you are not far from it, politically: Is thistrue?
54
PUt<
'.
[Barzanij We had always been against shedding Kurdish blood. We had also sought to convince all
of those who bear anns of the danger of their policies and the bad effects, which reflect on the Kurdish
people. We have exerted relentless and continuous efforts to prevent the attempts to turn Kurdistan
into an arena for settling conflicts at the expense of the public's security and the region's stability. We
faced many challenges patiently, and also finnly. Today, fighting is taking place between the PKK and
the PUK in areas, in which the PUK had always denied the presence of PKK forces. However, the outbreak of fighting has shown that PKK forces have an old and large presence in these areas, contrary
to what had been said. I again call for not terrorizing the Kurdish individual, not disrupting the security
of Kurdistan, and disallowing anyone to tamper with the experience, which we are building today for the
sake of this people's future and welfare.
[AI-Bazzaz] Do you view the conflict between the PKK and the PUK as a settling of scores on the
regionallevel, in which Turkey and Iran are apparently taking part?
[Barzani] There is no doubt that regional factors do exist. However, some roles are still not clear,
especially with regard to Iran, because the fighting is taking place near Its borders. In the final analysis,
some parties have their known calculations and old alliances.
[AI-Bazzaz] You made a visit to Turkey early this month. Did Turkish officials raise the differences,
which arose between the Kurdistan Democratic Party [KDP] and some members of the Turkoman
Front?
[Barzani] The visit was completely successful. I am satisfied with the method of holding the talks with
Turkish officials, who demonstrated a positive attitude and showed understanding. Some problems,
which affected relations with the Turkoman Front, had no impact on the talks. Frankly speaking, I believe that Turkomans, Assyrians, and others who live with us in Kurdistan should enjoy their full rights. This
position is not a favor from us. Nor is it the outcome of pressure by anyone. We safeguard these rights.
I guarantee these rights and I will defend them. Yes, I will safeguard the rights of Turkomans and others
under the umbrella of law and order, which includes everybody. There is no doubt that there was exaggeration and misunderstanding of the incidents that took place. We respect Turkomans and care about
them. They know that we hold them in high esteem. This is a constant policy that will continue.
[AI-Bazzaz] Turkey plays a key role in the new security and regionalorder in the region. It maintains
relations and commitments with the United States and Israel. Has Turkey asked you to take part in any
security arrangements in the region?
[Barzani] No, not at all. Our position is declared. I re~erate It at this stage. We will not be part of any
regional security or military arrangements with any party against any party. We only care about the
interest of our people and safeguarding their security. We do not bargain with anyone against any side.
This position is known to all regional and international sides, and there is understanding of it. This is
why no one has asked us to take part in any regional commitments. We have proven practically that
we are not a tool in the hands of anyone and will not be a bargaining chip to pressure anyone. We will
not bargain over our political decision on fateful issues.
[AI-Bazzaz] What about the relationship with the central government in Baghdad? Is it declining or
developing?
[Barzani] As long as we are living in Iraq, the solution in the end is within Iraq. Therefore, dialogue
should continue. However, the important thing is that we should be able to reach a political solution that
enhances national unity, just as it enhances the historical relations between the Arabs and Kurds.
[AI-Bazzaz] Some Islamists resorted to violence a few months ago in Kurdistan. Does this indicate
t~e possibility of ~heemergence of a phenomenon of wider violence against the background of the position of the Islam1sts toward some aspects of sociallife and some new habits in Kurdish society?
[Barzani] Our Islamists are different from the Islamists you know in Algeria and elsewhere. The
Ku.rdish people are religious by nature. I personally can never lead a party that has an anti-Islam orientation. Since the days of martyr Shaykh Abd-al-Salam Barzani, the historicalleadership
of this people
has ~een careful to mix the national aspirations of the Kurdish peopie and their Islamic affiliation and
sophist trend. Had Shaykh Abd-al-Salam remained alive (he was executed in 1914 when he was 38
years ~Id), !he history of the Kurds would have taken a different course. If you go back to the writings
of the histonans of that stage, you will find that he was trying to convince King George V in Britain to
accept the idea of declaring a state, according to the British historian (Wiklann) who visited Kurdistan
in 1905.
'
55
The important thing is that the Kurds had made a choice. at an early stage. They are practicing
Mljslims. We now have Islamic parties, which operate according to the law. These parties oppose the
use of force and violence in advoc~ting their ideas. If certain incidents had happened, these are isola--ted-and-individual
incidents; which will-not be-iepeated;-~urdistan
will-nevar-ba-ancthar-Algana..[AI-Bazzaz] :Talking about Shaykh Abd-al.Salam's vision, do you feel that the new generations of
Kurds suffer from a problem of identity and that there are sensitivities between the Kurds, according to
thèir areas and social roots?
[Barzani] I do not think so because the elements that determine the features of Kurdish identity are
intertwined. They are national features that reflect the yearnings and ambitions of this people. These
features are mixed with the Islamic dimension, which the Kurds have by nature. The party [KOP] is a
united party that rises above differences and distinctions, whether these are social orregiona!. The party
has contributed toward crystallizing the national identity of the Kurds. Therefore, the party is, in a way,
looked at by others, who are observing its ability to prevent the emergence of differences and sensitivities of any kind. The party's political bureau includes members from all cities, areas, and social roots.
[AI-Bazzaz] Is it possible for fighting to restart betWeen the KOP and the PUK?
[Barzanij There is nothing that justifies this fighting again. We do not expect it. There is a common
conviction that collision does not serve anyone. It will greatly harm our people.
[AI-Bazzaz] You have a new young govemment. which provides basic services and is responsible
for rebuilding Kurdistan. Are you satisfied with its performance so far?
[Barzani] As far as sf;lrvices go, there is no doubt that so far its pf;lrformance is less than what we
aspire for. HowElver, to be fair, we have to observe with appreciation the continuing and rapid development. The govemment has a strong will to continue to meet the needs of the people, in spite of the
meager resources. But do you expect destruction over 80 years to be reversed in two or three or ten
years?
_
.': . Destruction isfasterthan con~ruction, as you know. However, the important thing is that We :have
astrong political and practical will to provide the people wlth a safe life and gOOdservices. Secuiityand
s~àbility are in their best shape. :FreedomE; are. safeguardeèland the :Parties operate safelyand have
,their forums-riewsp~per's and te.levision broadcasts. This is available for everYbody, inch,JdingKurds~
Turkomans, and Assyrians. This aJso applies to all trends--Islarriist, communist, and nationalistic. Th!S,
iritself, is an achievem~:lI't. which we are working to develop. The important thing is that the people
enjoy peace of mind. This is the most important and precious thing.
[AI-Bazzaz] T\.Irkey and Iran have often viewed Kurdistan as a crossing or passageway. Do you still
face this attitude after you have set up your own modei in running the .area for a decade?
[Barzani] We are not a crossing, and we will not accept to be a passageway.
[AI-Bazzaz] Iran is looking for a land passage to link it with Syria. It also sought the same thing with
the Iraqi Govemment. Has it-sought this with you as well?
[Barzani] No one is talking to us now about this issue.
[AI-Bazzaz] But Kurdistan is likely to become a crossing of a different kind. It may not be a political
or military passageway. I am referring here to another problem. which has to do with drug trafficking.
Kurdistan is located amid countries, which suffer from this problem. Therefore, drug dealers may seek
to infiltrate your area. Has this not happened so far?
-
.
-
[Barzanij We have asked for the help of the United Nations and the European Union to support out
efforts and to preventthe use of Kurdistan as a route for drug trafficking from neighboring countries. We
are close to the. line of this trade, and we have taken precautions to face the dangers of this bane. We
have adopted strict and harsh measures to safeguard society and keep Kurdistan clean. We will not
hesitate in the future to tàke very tough measures to prevent drug trafficking through Kurdistan to protect ourselves and the entire region.
*.*
56
****
I
Filming in Iran's Rugged Corner, Hoping
Prayer Works
•
Elaine
Sciolino
.
When Bahman Ghobadi decided to
make his first feature film and set it
Inhis native Kurdistanip the northwest comer of Iran, he turned to his
family for help. One brother became
the production manager. Another became an assistant director. An older
sister found suitable locations and
mediated disputes on the set. Most
important was Mr. Ghobadi's moth~r, who cooked hot meals for the cast
lUldcrew every day and visited her
local mosque In times Of crisis.
"My mother had a crucial rolepraying," said Mr. Ghobadi in an interview during a recent trip to New
York, his first ever. "Every morning
she would call and ask, 'What do you
need?' I'd tell her, 'I need a cloudy
sky tomorrow' or 'I need snow right
now.' She would go immediately to
the mosque. She did everything she
could to bring God to my set. "
Mr. Ghobadt, an Iranian Kurd, is
only 31. But bis first feature film, "A
Time for Drunken Horses," won the
Camera d'Or award at the Cannes
International Filth Festival this year
ànd has been richly praised at film
festivals from Telluride to Toronto.
it opens tomorrow in 16 cities nationally as part of the Shooting Gallery
Film Series, including New York at
~e Loews State, Broadway at 45th
Street.
Like many Iranian films that cap'ture the joys and travails of everyday We, "A Time for Drunken
llorses" is about a family. But this is
'also one of the first films about Kurdistan, fUmed mostly in Kurdish and
underscoring Kurdistan's separateriess from the fierce political battles
swirling In Tehran hundreds of miles
away. About 8 percent of Iran's population is Kurdish, and most Kurds
are Sunnis, not ShUtes, as are most
Iranians. There is no Isl~ic repubHcin the fUm - no clericil, no call to
prayer from the mosque., no photographs of Ayatollah Ruh6llah Khomelni. the father of Iran's revolution.
Kurdish women wear th$' brightcolored tribal dress, not tile long,
\)lack chadors worn by many of
Iran's most religious women.
FUmed In the unforglviù8 terrain
on Iran's border with Iraq, the film
tens the story of a family of five children whose mother died inchildbirth
and whose father has disappeared in
ä smuggling operation acJl8S the
land-mine-laden Iraqi border. Ayoub
(which means Job), the teenage son.
is left to p~vide for his three sisters
and his brother, Madt, a sickly 15-
Melissa JOIIelI for '!be New York
Bahman Ghobadi,
Time fot Drunken
nme.
director of <CA
Horses."
year-old with deformities who has
only a short time to live. Ayoub Is determined to keep his sister Amaneh
in school and, even more difficult, to
earn the money for an expensive operation that will prolong Madi's life,
though only for several months.
The young Ayoub becomes a
smuggler, carrying heavy loads of
tires and construction materials on
mule caravans through the steep,
snowy mountains to Iraq, dodging security forces of both countries. The
title of the film refers to the alcohol
that is poured into the drinking water
of the mules, turning them tipsy but
helping them endure the harsh cold.
(The film is about mules that can
make the trip across the mountain,
not about horses, which probably
could not. But, Mr. Ghobadi said,
"The word mules doesn't sound good,
especially in Farsi.")
One day Ayoub returns to find that
bis uncle has bartered his older sister, Rojine, as a bride to an Iraqi
Kurd whose family has promised to
pay for Madi's operation. In one of
the most moving scenes of the film,
Rojine crosses the mountains
through the snow with Ayoub and
Madi to meet her husband's family
on a barren field at the border. Her
mother-in-law, who has 10children of
her own, refuses to abide by the
agreement to take in Madi, and then
she refuses to grant Rojine a divorce.
But a deal is struck: the family of
the groom gives Ayoub a mule, Madi
goes back home, and Ayoub restarts
bis campaign to save his brother's
We.
Mr. Ghobadi grew up in the Kurdish town of Baneh and studied fUm-
making at a university in Tehran run
by Iran's state-controlied television
and radio. He worked as an assistant
to Abbas KiaroStami. probably
Iran's best-known director, who has
been makingfUms since before
Iran's 1979revolution. And he honed
bis skills by filltling children in a day
care center where he worked for
three years and by making dozens of
short films, mostly about neighbors
and friends.
He decided to make bis first fea.
ture film about Kurdistan primarily
because it was the world he knew
best. He said: "I belons there. I know
the culture. Everything Inthe film
sprang from my interaction with
other Kurdish people. There are also
misconc:eptions about the Kurds.
They are always seen carrying guns
and shooting people. Whenever I tell
people I am going to Kurdistan, they
say: 'Be careful. They're going to cut
your head off.' "
Indeed, Baneh was a haven for the
"ready-to-die" Kurdish guerrlllas
who waged a rebellion untliit was
crushed by the Iranian Army. It remains a small, poor town, but today
it is the filmmaker, not the guerrilla,
who is the hero in Kurdistan, and
Iran is now the 10th-largest producer
of films in the world
"When I walk down the streets,
people approach me, young and old,
with scripts," said Mr. Ghobadi, an
affable man with well-groomed,
slicked-back hair who is just beginning to fit into his new celebrity.
"Now people are buying cameras.
People are praying that their kids become filmmakers."
The film began without a script.
Instead, like Mr. Kiarostami, bis
mentor, Mr. Ghobadi began to follow
people around, pointing his camera
at them. None of the actors are professionals. "I wanted the film to be a
mixture of documentary and imagination," he said.
Mr. Ghobadi began the film with
the cooperation and financing of the
Farabi Cinema Foundation, an arm
of Iran's vast Ministry of Islamic
Guidance and Culture. Initially the
permission, the camera, the film,
some of the crew and even the catering were provided by the Islamic Republic. The culture minister, Ataollah Mobajerani, would cheek with
the director on the fUm's progress.
But Mr. Ghobadi was dissatisfied
with the initial rushes and decided
that many scenes had to be shot
again because of the weather. De-
57
spite the film's tundralike setting, it
snows hard in ~urdistan only a: few
weeks of the year. (Indeed, most of
. the smuggling between Iran.and Iraq
- is done in trüCKSand smäll vans on
paved roads, and the smugglers who
use ~ules work only two months of
the year and seldom in the dismal
conditions depicted in the fUm.) So
he decided to wait for ànother winter.
When the ministry balked at investing more money, he borrowed from
family members and friends to buy
. out Farabi's rights. The entire production cost about $125,000.
In promoting his film around the .
world, Mr. Ghobadi has found himself cast in the role of a spokesman
for the 20 million Kurds who inhabit
a large sWilth of territory in Iran,
Iraq, Turkey.and Syria. "I.consider
.myself an Iranian first aDd then a
.
.
.Ira~ian
Kurdish Iranian," he said. "But people have turned me into a spokesperson for the Kurdish cause. Sure,
there are a few thousand armed
-figliters who want iDdependence. But
instead of picking up a gun, let' spick
up a camera."
Mr. Ghobadi acknowledged that
thefilm's quasi-documentary style
leaves the impression that it reflects
reallife in Kurdistan, but he said: "I
don't wànt you to get the impression
that Kurdistan looks like this. Kurdistan is very beautiful. I wanted it to
be snow-covered to hide that beauty.
I wanted a miserable, dismal environment." He also said that he sani. tized the lives of the smuggling underworld.
"Smugglers don't have work 10
months of the year, so they don't
have much to do, and that idleness
causes addiction," Mr. Ghobadi said.
. "Sometimes in.the smuggling operations the boys get raped byolder
smugglers. The whole situation dis. ~n!(f me so much Tdiilil'f delveiilto
it."
But the overarching message of
the film - familial love and loyalty
'"'":'
resonates throughout. "Nothing
can keep this boy from doing what he
wants," Mr. Ghobadi said. "He isn't
even afraid of dying. When he crosses the Iraqi border at the end, he
doesn't know what will happen. Will
he step on a mine? Will he be eaten
alive by a wolf? Will he be captured
by security forces?"
Mr. Ghobadl is already planning
his second feature film. It is the story
of a town in Iraq inhabited by 400
women, but no men. Except, that is,
for Madi.
.
Ba,hais, Fieeing Religious Persecution, Find a Refuge in Turkey
.By AMBERINZAMAN
los Angeles Times October 28, 2000
vAN, Turkey--When
the prominent Iranian doctor was invited back home last year with promises that he
would no longer be persecuted f()r his adherence to the Bahai faith, he resigned from ëi well-paid job in
Saudi Arabia and flew to Iran. "Within six months, I was in jail," said the frail-looking 65-year-old, who
now has fled across the border to eastern Turkey, as he broke down in tears. "They fed me my own
fiesh." The doctor, a longtime campaigner for Bàhai rights, identified himself as Parvaz Mukhtari, but that
is not his real name. Like many other Iranian Bahais seeking asylum in Turkey, he refuses to reveal his
real name because. he w~nts to protect loved ones back home. The Bahais are part of a crush of refugees in this eastern Turkish city. Officials here say the refugees, most of them KUrds fleeing a 15-year
separatist insurgency in the country's largely Kurdish southeast, have more than doubled the official
population of 226,000. Besides Iranian Bahais, who normally are granted asylum beca~se of the persecution they face, there are as many as 10,000 illegal Iranian immigrants here, officiais estimate.
Necmettin Salaz, an advisor to Van's mayor, said the refugees have created "unbearable" pressure 6n
city resources. Most of the refugees live in adobe huts with plastic sheeting for windows and no heating
or toilets. Many men work illegally in construction; women in growing numbers are said to be turning to
prostitution.
.
Officials at the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Van say the number of Iranian asylum-seekers, including Bahais, has steadily risen over the last three years. Nearly half of those granted
refUgee status last year were 6ahais. Like most of the other Bahai refugees, Mukhtari believed that
conditions for Iran's largest religious minority would improve when the country's moderë!,te president,
Mohammad Khatami, was elected in May 1997 with proniises of democratic reform. But Mukhtari said
he was arrested and put in solitary confinement in a jail in Isfahan, about 200 miles south of the Iraniim
capital, Tehran, after refusing to renounce his faith. A ragged scar zigzags the length of Mukhtari's left
calf from where he said his interrogators had carved out a piece of flesh. "They grilled it in the form of a
kebab and forced it down my throat," Mukhtari recalled, tugging fiercely at a set of turquoise worry beads
as he spoke. "Fat them, it was a great joke." Such treatment is part of what critics call a policy of repression against Bahais in Iran. Western diplomats say that continuing persecution of Bahais might be part
of the broader power struggle in Iran between hard-liners and Khatami's reformers.
Just a year after Khatami was elected, Ruhollah Rowhani, a Bahai, was executed on charges of apostasy stemming from his alleged conversion of a Muslim woman to the Bahai faith, said Techeste
Ahderom, a spokesman for the Bahai Intemational Community in New York. At least 11 Bahais remain
in jail for refusing to recant their faith. Four have been handed death sentences, Ahderom said. The U.S.
State Department's annual report on religious freedom for 1999 accused Iran of implementing policies
against Bahais "geared to destroying them as a community" through prolonged imprisonment, confis-
58
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln (jzeti
cation and desecration of their holy sites and graves, and by denying them university education and
govemment jobs. Iranian authorities in September 1998 shut down a covert chain of Bahai "open universities" set up shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in response to the group's exclusion from high
schools and universities.
Last year, four Bahai faculty members arrested in the crackdown were sentenced to up to 10 years in
prison on charges of having established "a secret organization" engaged in "attracting youth, teaching
against Islam, and teaching against the regime of the Islamic Republic," the State Department report
said. Numbering about 350,000 in Iran and 5 million worldwide, the Bahais are considered apostates by
Iran's clerical regime chiefly because of claims that their spiritual leader, a 19th-century Persian nobleman named Bahaullal1, succeeded the prophet Muhammad as God's latest messenger. More than200
adherents of this largely pacifist community have been executed since the revolution. Thousands have
fled the country. In Turkey, however, the Bahais' aversion to politics and calls for equality between men
and women have made them welcome. Leaders of this predominantly Muslim but officially secular nation
continue to view Islamic radicalism as the No.1 threat to the modem Turkish republic founded by Kemal
Ataturk more than 70 years ago, and they accuse Iran's clerical rulers of seeking to export fundamentalism. "Of all the Muslim countries in the world, Turkey is where we feel the greatest freedom," said
Cuneyt Can, a physics professor at Ankara's Middle Eastem Technical University and a local community leader for Turkish Bahals.
For that reason, says Can, Bahais fleeing Iran are well received by local authorities, and Turkey is a
favorite transit route for those seeking asylum in Westem countries. "The Turkish police, the people have
been very kind to me," said a 54-year-old Bahai asylum seeker, who would identify herself only as
Shaziya. She said her 40-year-old brother was shot dead by Iranian revolutionary guards in 1981. "I still
keep the shirt he was wearing," she said, producing a crumpled, blood-stained garment out of a plastic
bag. She said Iranian secret police still raid the family home and detain males for long periods. Last year,
she said, her husband was jailed for refusing to convert to Islam and has yet to be released. "I decided
to come here to save my poor son," Shazlya said, pulling a teenager to her side. The pair made it to Van
in February after a harrowing four-day trek through the snow-clad mountains separating Turkey from
Iran. Like hundreds of Iranians who cross illegally into Turkey every year, they paid Kurdish smugglers
about $600 each to get them across the heavily mined frontier.
They are waiting to be resettled in Norway by the High Commissioner for Refugees. As they await resettlement, community elders such as Mukhtari organize classes for Bahai youth to pass on the religion's
teachings but also tutor them on such subjects as English and math. "Come what may," said Mukhtari,
"we shall keep the spirit of our faith alive."
*** •••
GILMAN, HELMS DEMAND ANSWERS ON SANCTIONS-VIOLATING FLIGHTS INTO IRAQ
House International Relations Comlttee
October 27,2000
WASHINGTON (Oct. 27) - U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (20th-NY), Chairman of the House
International Relations Committee, sent the following letter today to Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright concerning sanctions against Iraq:
October 27,2000
Dear Madam Secretary:
":'e su~pec.ttha~you ~re extremely concemed, as we certainly are, about the increasing number of sanctions-violating flights Into Iraq. Needless to say, it is not surprising that these flights have been initiated
by Russia and France, both of which are permanent members of the Security Council.
Follo~ing the lead of Russia and France, other countries have likewise flown into Iraq. Among these
countnes are recipients of significant amounts of U.S. foreign aid.
This, Madam Secretary, is outrageous.
Since August, Russia has permitted three direct commercial flights to Baghdad, requesting permission
59
for only two of those flights from the U.N. Sanctions Committee. We understand that Russia does not
view these flights as sanctions violations ..
!n-yel:lr-testimeny last-menth-befere- the Foreign-Re!ationsGcmmittee,-yoü~emphasized
that-this-is-not
the U.S. position; specifically, you made clear that the United States believes "that these flights need
approval, and ... I thinkthat absent any new kind of consensus, the [Sanctions Committee] will continue ... to operate under practices of the last 10 years, that these flights require approval, not just notification." Sanctions are a vital tool in denying Saddam Hussein the funding andsupplies necessary for
him to pursue weapons of mass destruction. Vigilance is all the more urgent, given the absence of weapons inspectors in Iraq for nearly two years.
'ßeil1g fully cor:nlT!i1:t~d,as we are, to en~uril"!g t~at thi~ dei:1P()tdge~ not develop the weapons to threa~
....ten the United States, our allies, or bur interests, we acknoWledge that this will be increasingly difficultif
,'Saddam's neighbors (and our allies and ~id recipients) continue to violate the sanctions intended to pro~
tect them. ,
Madam Secretary, two points: 1) In your view, absent pennission from the sanctions committee, do these
flights constitute sanctions violations? And (2) Undèr the tei'nis of Section 534 of the Forèign Operations
Appropriations Act of 2000, do you agree that no assistance should be provided to nations in violation
of U.N. sanctions on Iraq?
Please let us hear from you as to how Se.ction 534 applies to the countries in violation of UN sanctions,
. and in particular to Russia and Egypt, two flag~ant violators who receive billions in U.S. foreign aid.
We urgently need your response, Madam Secretary. Sincerely, JESSE HELMS (Chair, Semite Foreign
Relations Committee! R-NY). BENJAMIN A. GILMAN (Chair, House International Relations Committee,
R-NY)
******
UN sanctions Iraqi sale of oil in euros
Agence France Presse October 31, 2000
GENEVA 6 The United Nations (UN) sanctions committee on 'Monday gave authorisation for Iraqi crude
oil exports to be paid for in euros instead of dollars, diplomats said after the three hour closed-session
meeting to discuss the Iraqi request. Iraq has however told the' committee it will wait until November 6
before implementing the currency change. Iraq had made the request for the switch to pricing in euros,
and Iraqi Oil Minister Amer ai-Rashid earlier described the US dollar as "the currency of an enemy
state".
"There is no legal basis to block the request, from Iraq for the switch to euros, a UN diplomatic source said at the end of the meeting. However;. UN financial experts said "cumbersome"' administrative
arrangements would be required and rec0",lmended furt~er study before making the switch .
U
. AII revenuefrom
Ir~cfs crude oil exports are handled by the' UN undéi"the sanctions regime imposed on
••:lr?q after it invaded Kuwait in 1990 .
. The chair of the sanctions committee, Dutch ar:nba~sador to the UN Peter van Wals\Jm, will now write to
the UN Secretariat infonning it of the decision taken by the committee, the diplomats said.
Baghdad had let it be understood that it might interrupt its oil exports if thé UN refused to give pennissian for the switch.
Thecommittee also a~ked the'UN Secretariat to report back in three months on the effect of the changeover to euros. The Secretariat was also asked to be in direct contact with the Iraqi authorities to solve
any technical problems that the chah,geovèr might bring, diplomats said.
A report by UN Treasurer Suzanne Bishopric said the switch could cost at least $270m a year in exchange costs and lost interest on the dollar account.
The report also warned that the move could mean delays in settling accounts, because not all purchasers of Iraqi oil or their bankers wOlild necessarily hold euros in large quantities.
******
60
GENOCIDE
Bill Clinton a fait reculer le Congrès
La résolution sur la reconnaissance du génocide annénien a été retirée de l'ordre du jour
apression de la Maison Blanche a fini par faire plier les
parrains de la résolution sur la reconnaissance du génocide arménien au Congrès américain. La résolution a donc
été retirée jeudi 19 octobre de l'ordre du jour, juste avant le vote
de l'ensemble de la Chambre des Représentants.
Le président Bill Clinton avait dressé le même jour une lettre
au président de la Chambre des Représentants, Dennis Rastert,
dans laqueIle il s'inquiétait des conséquences que pourrait
entraîner l'adoption de la résolution 596 (sur la recoMaissance
~ génocide arménien). «Nous avons des intérêts importants
dans cette région troublée du monde, éérit le président américain: contenir la menace que fait peser l'Asie centrale et orien-
L
tale, stabiliser la situation dans les Balkans et développer de
nouvelles sources d'énergie. L'examen de cette résolution en
cette période sensible affectera négativement nos intérêts, et
pourrait saper les efforts entrepris pour promouvoir une amélioration des relations entre la Turquie et l'Arménie, l'objectif
ultime affiché par les parrains de cette résolution.»
Pour justifier le retrait d'une résolution dont il a été l'un des
plus ardents défenseurs, le président de la Chambre des
Représentants, DeMis Hastert, a expliqué que son adoption
«pourrait avoir un impact défavorable sur la situation au
Moyen-Orient et mettre en péril la vie de ressortissants américains». Le président Clinton lui a fait part de ses «Jortes inquiétudes» quant à «l'opportunité» de cette résolution, au regard des
intérêts américains au Moyen-Orient «Chaque patriote américain devrait tenir compte de la requête du président», souligne
M. Hastert, qui pense que la résolution «aurait recueüli le soutien de la majorité de la Chambre des Représentants».
A Ankara, la joie et le soulagement provoqués par le retrait
de la résolution sont à la mesure de l'inquiétude suscitée ces
dernières semaines. Le président turc Ahmet Necdet Sezer a
remercié son homologue américain Bill Clinton d'avoir déployé
ses efforts en vue de bloquer l'adoption de la résolution, qui
n'est ni plus ni moins qu'une «tentative de détruire les bonnes
relations bilatérales entre nos deux pays». La Turquie al:corde
«la plus haute importance aux relations avec son ami et allié les
Etats-Unis», a écrit M. Sezer au président américain. «Je suis
sûr que vous partagez comme moi le désir de ne pas voir se
renouveler de telles initiatives visant à entraver le développement des relations bilatérales», a souligné le chef de l'Etat turc.
Pour le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères Ismail Cem, les
relations turco-américaines ont été «sauvées d'une grande
menace» par le retrait de cette résolution, une initiative «pleine
d'injustices contre la Turquie». M. Cem a remercié le président
Clinton, la secrétaire d'Etat Madeleine Albright, le secrétaire à
la Défense William Cohen, l'ambassadeur des Etats-Unis en
Turquie William Pearson, ainsi que les membres du Congrès
ayant «défendu les réalités». «Nous devons continuer à expliquer les vérités», a-t-il déclaré.
Le premier ministre turc Bülent Ecevit a exprimé sa «gratitude» au président américain Bill Clinton, au Secrétaire d'Etat
Madeleine Albright, au Secrétaire à la Défense William Cohen
et au Pentagone, pour le retrait de la résolution sur le génocide
arménien de l'ordre du jour du Congrès. n a également exprimé
sa gratitude au Patriarche des Arméniens de Turquie, Sa
Béatitude Mesrob Mutafian.
Sur les relations arméno-turques, M. Ecevit a déclaré que sa politique à l'égard de l'Arménie n'avait pas
changé. «11y a deux conditions préalables au dévelop-
pement des relations bilatérales, a-t-il dit : premièrement, le rejet par l'Annénie d'interprétations erronées
de l'histoire, et deuxièmement, la conclusion d'un accord avec l'Azerbaïdjan. Ces deux points seront profitables à l'Arménie. Sachezjuste qu'il n'y a jamais eu
de génocide durant toute l'histoire de la Turquie!»
On notera une seule voix discordante en Turquie :
celle du président de l'Assemblée des Associations
turco-américaines (AATA), Tolga Cubukcu. qui a
déclaré depuis Washington (Turkish Daily News, 2610) que «les membres du Congrès n'ont pas montré
leur désaccord à /' égard du contenu de la résolution
retirée in extremis, mais ont plutôt fait prévaloir les
intérêts stratégiques des Etats-Unis en Turquie, la
crise récente au Moyen-Orient ayant rendu le rôle
d'Ankara primordial». Pour M. Cubukcu, «il est évident que le succès obtenu par la Turquie grâce à son
importance stratégique et régionale ne peut déboucher
sur un changement de l'opinion publique américaine
sur cette question».
LA CONTRE-OFFENSIVE TURQUE
Après les premières réactions officielles à l'aMonce du retrait de la résolution du Congrès, la Turquie a
lancé sa contre-offensive. Un Institut de Recherches
ArménieMes (IRA) va être fondé à Ankara pour tenter
de démonter les accusations de génocide proférées
contre la Turquie dans le monde. L'IRA va étudier la
culture et l'histoire arméniennes, et ouvrir les archives
ottomanes au public via Internet. L'ancien ambassadeur Omer Engin Lutem a été nommé directeur de cet
institut, qui sera formé au départ de 10 académiciens
et diplomates à la retraite, et qui collaborera avec le
Centre d'Etudes Stratégiques Eurasiatiques.
Par ailleurs, un groupe d'études va être mis sur pied
au Parlement d'Ankara, pour contrer les accusations
qui visent la Turquie. Des historiens turcs et étrangers
remettront leurs conclusions le 24 avril2001, a révélé
le nouveau président du Parlement, Omer Izgi.
La justice turque a ouvert également une enquête
lundi 23 octobre à l'encontre d'Akin Birdal, militant
turc des droits de l'homme, auquel elle reproche
d'avoir accusé la Turquie, lors d'une conférence donnée récemment en Allemagne, d'avoir perpétré un
génocide à l'encontre des Arméniens. Selon l'agence
turque Anatolie, Akin Birdal est passible d'un maximum de trois ans d'emprisonnement, pour «incitation
à la haine raciale». Akin Birdal, l'ancien président de
l'Association de défense des droits de l'homme de
Turquie, a déjà été libéré de prison le mois dernier,
après avoir purgé une peine de dix mois de prison,
pour «incitation à la haine raciale». Il avait été
condamné pour des discours prononcés en 1995 et
1996 sur les droits des Kurdes, dans lesquels il appelait à la fin de la guerre menée depuis 1984 par
l'armée turque contre les rebelles kurdes dans le sudest anatolien.
Enfin, cette oontre-offensive turque sur le génocide
arménien s'accompagne d'un brusque regain de tension avec la Grèce en mer Egée, puisqu'Athènes a
61
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dimtro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
décidé dimanche 22 octobre de se retirer d'un exercice
que soit l'appellation qu'on leur confère. Le dialogue
de l'OTAN, après le refus de la Turquie d'autoriser les
turco-arménien est la voie à suivre. Les historiens et
avions grecs à simuler .une attaque à l'~ntérieur ,de ses , chercheurs objectifs, sélectionnés par les deux parties,
terres.
,
.---~devraient-exal1liner-eette'question;-rous-les-pays
pos- ,
Soulagement côté turc, mais aussi du côté du
sédant des archives devraient les ouvrir pour examen.
constructeur américain Bell-Textron, qui risquait de se
En ma qualité de Patriarche des Arméniens de
voir éliminer au profit du consortium russo-israélien
Turquie, j'ai toujours recommandé la formation d'un
Kamov, dans làc,Qurse à l'achat par l'année turque de dialogue entre l'Arménie et la Turquie. le suis prêt à y
145 héliCOptèresde combat. «Bell est satisfait que ce contribuer par tous les moyens possibles.»
problème ait été résolu. a déclaré l'un des dirigeants
du groupe. Nous pouvons à présent nous concentrer ERÉVAN «DÉPLORE» LE RETRAIT
DE LA RÉSOLUTION
'
sur les négociations avec les Turcs.»
L'Arménie
a
«déploré»
vendredi,
20
octobre par la
Côté arménien, on réagit diversement selQn que
voix
d'Ara
Papian,
porte-parole
du
ministère
des
l'on se trouve en Turquie ou en Arménie. Le Pàtriar9he des Amiéniensde Turquie, Sa Béatitùde Mçsrob Affaires étrangères, le retrait de la résolution sur le
Il, qui à quàlifié hi résolution du Congrès américain de génocide annénien. n a néanmoins fOnné le vœu que
«casse-tête», a appelé la Turquie et l'Arménie au dia- la Turquie acceptera d'entamer un dialogue avec
logue pour trouver une solution au problème. Dans l'Arménie, sur tous les problèmes «entravant la norune déclaration écrite rendue publique après le retrait malisation des relations bilatérales». '
Hovhannes Hovhannissian, le président de la comde la résolution, Sa Béatitude Mesrob II a affirmé qu'il
était «vain» d'espérer un résultat «en comptant sur des mission des Affaires étrangères au Parlement d'Erétiers». «Ce problème ne devrait pas devenir un casse- van, a attribué quant à lui le retrait de la résolution à la
tête, a-t-il ajouté. Il ne devrait pas être exploité par «forte pression» exercée par la Maison Blanche, et a
des politiciens pour leurs propres intérêts. Personne établi des parallèles entre les Etats-Unis et la France,
n'a le droit d'exploiter les douleurs des gens, quelle où le blocage du Sénat se poursuit. «La même chose
"
s'est produite à Washingto~», a-t-il déclaré à RadioLiberté. Kim Balayari, du Parti Dachnak, a accusé
Washington de pratiquer une politique de «deux poids
-deux-fnesuïe,s»" Samuel-Avetissian, de Paysâ,es lliiS,
a estimé pour sa part que la crise du Moyen-Orient a
permis de «renforcer le rôle géopolitique de la
Turquie aux yeux des dirigeants américains».
Quoi qu'il en soi~ il y a fort à parier que les organisations arméniennes des Etats-Unis reviendront à la
charge après l'élection de la nouvelle Chambre des
Représentants. Selon un rapport du Centre d'Etudes
Internationales et Stratégiques (CEIS) des Etats-Unis,
une résolution identique sera rediscutée au Congrès
américain durant l'année prochaine. L'auteur du rapport, David McKeeby, a souligné que «le lobby arménien n'abandonnerait pas ses efforts» en vue de la
reconnaissance du génocide annénien. En cas d'adoption de la résolution, les intérêts stratégiques des EtatsUnis au Moyen Orient en seraient «considérablement
affectés». Cette affaire pourrait également avoir des
«répercussions» sur la candidature de la Turquie à
l'Union européenne, car celle-ci pourrait exiger
d'Ankara une «reconnaissance préalable». David
McKeeby a recommandé que cette question soit traitée
par les historiens.•
MGK "8,commendations" to Government Outlined
,Sabah 28 Oct 00 P 26 by MahmUt Bulut
Adoption of new measures to combat the threats against the secular system was debated during
yesterday's session of
Nation~1 Security Council [MGK]. . A MGK General Secretariat report,
"Strategy for Fighting Reactlonism," prepared at the prompting of a directive issued l:1ythe Office of
thé Prime Minister, voices thé need to adopt new steps and radical measures, especially inthe fieids
of education, judiciary, and executive, and proposes an action plan for this purpose. Among others,
it calls for the raising of the compulsory education from eight to 12 years, transfonning Imam-Hatips
into vocational schools by 'barring female student attendance, purging ministries and universities of
reactionary cadres, and .enforcing strict administrative and financial control over societies, trusts, and
Islamic business groups.
tn~
More Stricter Struggle
The four and half-hour MGK meeting was held at Cankaya presidential mansion under the chairmanship of President Sezer. The meeting assessed the results of the three-month implementation of
the "Strategy for Fighting Reactionism," which had been put into effect with a directive iss.ued by the
Office of tne Prime Minister. A report on this issue submitted to the meeting by the MGK General
Secretariat states that "reactionism continues to remain thenumber one threat against the Republic
of Turkey" and lists the measures that should be adopted to combat it. The report says the strategy
for combating reactionism "encompasses measures that should be taken as regards education, staffing, reactionary businesses, public relations, the institutions involved in anti-reactionary struggle, and
foreign elements supporting reactionism."
Amnesty, Banks, State of Emergency
Reiterating that every ministry should be responsible for monitoring its own personnel, the report
goes on to list the following institutions that should specifically combat reactionism: State Ministries
responsible for the economy; the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign, Finance, and National
Education; the Customs Undersecretariat; the High Education
Council [YOK]; Religious Affairs
Department; and General Directorate of Trusts.
In listing the new steps that need to be taken by the ministries and the institutions in the struggle
against reactionism, the report also calls for extra vigilance in looking into the allegations surrounding
62
-reactionary sportsmen. I [reference is to a sportsman at Sydney Olympics who refused to wear a uniform with Turkish flag on and even refused to compete]
The prison revolts and the amnesty issue were also debated at the meeting. The military branch
of the MGK asked that the sensitivity of the public should be taken into consideration over the amnesty of convicts that have committed crimes of terror.
Minister of Interior Tantan submitted a report to the meeting on the latest situation conceming the
issue of the bankrupt banks. The MGK called for decisive measures against the bankrupt banks and
gang crimes. It was also decided that the Cabinet should be informed of the extension of the State
of Emergency in Diyarbakir, Tunceli, Hakkari, and Simak for another four months as of 30 November.
Armenian Problem
The meeting also evaluated the latest developments on the "so-called Annenian genocidei claims.
To combat Armenian claims, the meeting looked into the possibility of setting up a scientific institution
made up of scholars from all over the world. The institution will be run from a single center to be set
up at a university.
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem briefed the MGK on the latest developments conceming the Middle East
peace process. The meeting decided that Turkey should continue its contributions to the Middle East
peace process.
******
Iraq Claims To Have Hit Enemy Plane
AP - 28 Oct 2000
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -Iraq claimed Saturday that its air defense units had struck an enemy plane patrolling in the southem no-fly zone earlier in the day.
A spokesman for the Iraqi Air Defenses told the officiallraqi News Agency that "the heroes of the air
defense units have hit an enemy plane which came from the Saudi skies."
The spokesman did not give details as to where the plane was hit or how much damage was caused.
But a British Ministry of Defense spokesman said Saturday night that it had no reports of any damage
to its aircraft. "No (Royal Air Force) or USA plane has been hit or shot down at all. It's been patrolling
as normal," he said. He said claims that coalition planes have been hit or brought down have been
made before, but have proved not to be true.
U.S. and British warplanes enforce no-fly zones over north and south Iraq to protect groups opposed to
the Baghdad govemment. Iraq does not recognize the zones and has been challenging the planes since
December 1998.
******
Syria'ss vice president to visit Turkey
UPI. 29 Oct 2000
DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 29 (UPI) .- Syria's Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam plans to visit Turkey
next month, becoming the first high-ranking Syrian official to make such a visit since the 1980s, according to diplomatic sources. The sources told United Press Intemational that Khaddam will hand a letter from Syrian President Bashar Assad to his Turkish counterpart during the planned visit to Ankara
early next month. They said the letter would be related to "bilateral ties and the situation in the region"
and that Khaddam was also to meet a number of Turkish officials, including the prime minister.
Khaddam's visit would be the first by a high-ranking Syrian official to Turkey since the 1980s when thenPrime Minister Abdel Raout ai-Kassam visited Ankara. It will be also the first since the two countries
signed the Adana security agreement in 1998 following Turkish reinforcements on the Syrian northem
border that came after Ankara accused Damascus of supporting the separatist Kurdish rebels headed
by Abdallah Ocelan.
63
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa ..Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
Un haut responsable p.résumé du PKK renvoyé
__ d_evant_les_ trib-unaux~
.-
KARLSRUHE (Allemagne), 30 oct (AFP) - 15h58- Un haut responsable présumé du Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK,
interdit en Allemagne) a été renvoyé devant le tribunal, a annoncé lundi le Parquet général fédéral. .
Halat K., un Turc d'origine kurde âgé de 40 ans, devra répondre d'appartenance à une organisation terroriste, d'incitation à la
violation de domicile et de trouble à l'ordre public. il sera jugé par le tribunal de Celle (nord)==~
Actuellement en détention provisoire, il est soupçonné d'avoir ordonné l'occupation des représentations diplomatiques de Grèce, du
Kenya et d'Israël en Allemagne, après la capture du chef du PKK Abdullah Ocalan par la Turquie en février 1999.
Selon le Parquet, Halat K. aurait été actif par intermittence en Allemagne, de mai 1994 à mars 2000, d'abord comme dirigeant du
PKK dans la région de Stuttgart (ouest). Après un séjour à l'étranger, il aurait dirigé à partir d'août 1998 la région nord du pays, qui
couvre les villes de Cassel, Hanovre, Bielefeld, Osnabruecket Salzgitter.
Entre l'arrestiltion d'Abdullah Ocalan en février 1999 et mai 1999, Halat K. avait rejoint une "cellule de crjse" de la direction du
PKK, sur ordre du coordinateur européen du PKK, un certain "Sahin", selon le communiqué du Parquet fédéral de Karlsruhe (ouest).
De mai 1999 à mars -2000,il aurait ensuite été responsable de la région sud avec Francfort, Mayence, Giessen, Marulheim, Sarrebruck
et Darmstadt.
Douze rebelles du PKK tués par l'armée dans
le sud-est (autorités turques)
--
--
DIYARBAKIR (Turquie), 30 oct (AFP) - 9h09 - Douze rebelles kurdes du Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) ont été tués et
trois soldats turcs blessés lors d'un affrontement dans la province de Sirnak frontalière avec l'Irak et la Syrie, a annoncé l'autorité
chargée de l'état d'urgence à Diyarbakir (sud-est).
L'accrochage, le plus meurtrier de ces derniers mois, s'est déroulé dans la région de Beytussebap, à une cinquantaine cie kilomètres de
la frontière irakienne, indiqu~ le communiqué sans préciser quand il a eu lieu.
Les affrontements dans l'est et le sud-est ont considérablement diminué depuis que le PKK a annoncé en septembre 1999 qu'il mettait
fin à ses quinze ans de lutte armée pour la création d'un Etat kurde indépendant, répondant à l'appel de son chef Abdullah Ocalan,
condamné à mort en juin de la même année pour trahison et séparatisme.
Mais l'armée turque
était une manoeuvre.
â promis
de lutter contre les rebelles jusqu'à ce qu'ils se rendent, estimant que leur annonce d'un arrêt des combats
Quelque 36.500 personnes ont été tuées en quinze. ans dans les violences liées à la rébellion du PKK, selon un bilan officiel.
Over 102,000 tons of goods exported from Kurdestan in 6 months
IRNA - 28 Oct 2000
Sanandaj, Kurdestan prov., Oct 28, IRNA -- Over 102,000 tons of non-oil goods have been exported
from the western province of Kurdestan in, the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year of
1379 (started March 20), Sirous Shah-Gheibi, a provincial official,.told IRNA here on Saturday.
The official put the value of exported commodities at over rls 12 billion.
The exported items included clinkers, cements, dried apricot, raisins, natural chewing gums and broad
beans.
The commodities.were shipped to Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
Currently the U.S. dollar exchange rate against the nationallranian
******
64
currency is around 8,150 rials.
.'
Revue de Presse-Press RevieuJ-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basrn Ozeti
Syria Speaks Up for Iraq
Longtime Foe Says It's Time to Lift UN Sanctions
C",.;Itd I¥y 0... SIttf From/JUpaIrl>ts
DAMASCUS - Ina sign of improving ties
between Syria and Iraq, Damascus called
Tuesday for the lifting of United Nations
"sanctions against Baghdad.
The gesture came after President Bashar
,Assad met with Tariq Aziz, deputy prime
minister of Iraq, who was visiting, a pres,idential spokesman said.
Ties between Syria and Iraq, ruled by rival
factions of the Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party,
stiuted to improve three years ago after nearly
two decades of animosity over Iraq's 19801988 war against Iran and Baghdad' s invasion
of Kuwait in 1990.
Syria sided with Tehran during the IraqIran war andjoined the U.S.-led multinational
force that drove Iraqi troops out of Kuwait in
1991.
Mr. Aziz was the most senior Iraqi official
to visit Syria since Bashar Assad took office in
July following the death in June of his father,
Hafez Assad.
Mr. Aziz also met with the Syrian foreign
minister, Farouk Shara, who said afterwards:
"Syria supports calls for removal of sanctions imposed on Iraq. We expressed this
position during recent meetings of the UN
General Assembly and the Arab League."
He added: ••We believe the preservation of
sanctions is not justified because the people of
Iraq are those who are mainly suffering as a
result. Syria wants to ease the agonies of the
Iraqi people. "
The Syrian move followed a flurry of other
overtures in Iraq's direction. On Monday,
France proposed that aircraft be allowed to fly
to Iraq with just simple notification of the UN
committee monitoring sanctions against
Baghdad. But the United States protested that
the committee must authorize all flights, not
just know about them.
C;oming on the heels of unauthorized
flights to Baghdad by French and Russian
aircraft, the proposal marked another step in
the campaign by Iraq's UN supporters to end
what they contend is an illegal air embargo
against Baghdad.
It also put the spotlight again on deep
divisions within the UN Security Council 10
rears after it imposed trade sanctions over the
mvasion of Kuwait
While France, Russia and China have
launched a new campaign to try to chip away
at the sanctions, the United States and Britain
are determined to maintain the embargoes
until UN inspectors certify that Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction have been eliminated.
At a sanctions committee meeting on Monday, France submitted a proposal that would
Iraq Says Its Oil
Will Be Priced in
Euros This Week
c:.pIed I¥y 0... SIt#F,.,.. Dûpa/ta
BAGHDAD - Iraq, OPEC's fourth-largest
~,
will price its oil exports in euros instead of dollan stal1ÏDgWednesday even though
the move has not been approved by the United
Nations, the country's oil minister said Sunday.
France, Russiaand China. all permanent members of the UN Security Council' 'support Iraq's
request," said the oil minister, Amir Mohamn1Cd
PIllhNwt aa:ordù1g to the official Iraqi press
INA. Iraq said in September that it
p
to switch to the euro because the dollar
was the C1D'l'eIlCY of an "enemy state."
There is a "serious possibility" that ~
which accounts for about 3 percent of world oil
output, could suspend oil exports because of a
delay in approving the request, the Middle East
EconornicSurvey said last week. Iraq's exports
are regulated by the UN under sanctions ïmposed
after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and the country does not participate in the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries' output quotas.
The UN infanneOIraq last weck dial it needed
more time to study the cost of making the chanJle.
:f~
y
A~
~n c~
paid for Its oil
erid the committee's practice of requiring 24
hours prior notification of any flight so that
members had time to register objections, said
the Netherlands' UN chief delegate, Peter van
Walsum, who chairs the committee. The
French proposal, he said, "is based on the
assumption that it is a notification procedure
only."
Under the proposal, the committee would
be notified of all flights to Iraq and the route to
be flown.
Aircraft would be inspected at departure, at
any stopover and at arrival in Baghdad by
independent inspection agents to ensure that
no unauthorized cargo was on board, Western
diplomats said.
The sanctions committee includes all 15
members of the Security Council.
In Paris on Tuesday, organizers said that a
French plane woul~ fly to Baghdad on Friday,
the second such flight in a week.
~ganizers of the forthcoming flight, including a former French foreign minister,
Claude Cheysson, and two other ex-cabinet
ministers, said the chartered plane carrying
French politicians and intellectuals,would
leave Paris on Friday morning and return on
Sunday. The organizers said they had
chartered an airliner.
(AP. Reuters. AFP)
thecurrency in which Iraq is
Will. be taken up in New Yort
OIl
Monday by the UN sanctions committee, which is
made up of officials frOm the IS Jnembérs of the
Security Council. including the United States.
The tl.S. State Department has said that it is not
concernedabout whetberoil payments are made in
euJ'O!l or dallan, only that the oil-for-food program
continue to meet its obiective of providing the
Iraqi people with needed food and medicine.
Iraq also wants to convert to euros about $10.6
billion sitting in an escrow account at BNP Paribas SA in New Yolk. That could potentially bave
a greater effect on proppin, up the euro than the
coordinated intervention 0 Sept. 22, when central banks S{)Cntbillion of dollan in support of the
European single currency.
(Bloomberg, AFP)
• OPEC ~ Raiae Output Quotas Monday
OPEC, which produces about 40 percent of the
world's oil, ~ raise. output quotas on Monday
for the fourth time this year to lower prices that
~
w~rld~nomi~growth.
the UnitedArab
Emirates oil D1JDlStersaid Sunday, acco~
to a
Bloomberg News dispatch from Abu Dhabi.
The sroup pledged in September to increase
quotas by a further 500,000 barrels a day if the
price of a barrel of crude that the group DlOniton
stayed above its target raqe of $22 to $28 for 20
consecutive trading days 'after Oct. 1. The OPEC
index was at $31.l4abarrel
on Thursday the
19th day it was above the range.
'
Crude oil prices bave remained high despite
OPEC's decision to try to push prices fower with
production increases in April,July and October.
65
"'
State ~épartment watching Iraqi commercial flights in No Fly Zone
'VPI - 30 October 2000 18:29 (ET)
By ELI LAKE
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) - The State Department says it will watch Iraqi commercial flights in the
l.,Ihited NatÎons-defined "no-fly" zone carefully but will not consider them a violation of existing restrictions, an official said Monday.
Iraq said on Monday that it would resume intemal flights between the capital, Baghdad, and two cities
in the north and south that fall under the U.S.-British"imposed "no-fly" zones, introduced to protect the
Kurdish population of these areas. The official Iraqi News Agency quoted Transport Minister Ahmad
Murtadah Ahmad as saying that regular flights between Baghdad and Mosul, 250 miles(400 km) north
of the capital, and Basra, miles 342 (550 km) south of Baghdad, will resume on Sunday. He said that
the airports in the two cities were now ready to receive and service the Iraqi Airways flights, adding that
plane tickets for the routes had returned to the market on Sunday. Ahmad added that the national ,carrier was also organizing bus shuttles from main areas in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra to transport passengers to the airports.
The United States currently monitors the two areas in the south and north of Iraq for military aircraft: If
American or British jets catch Iraqi military planes in these zones they are required to ground them.
The official also said unsanctioned international flights, or flights without permission from the UN sanctiç>nscommittee "were not carried out in accordance with estàblished sanctions regime procedures as
they should have been .• But the official would not say whether this constituted sanctions violations.
This semantic distinction between "accordance with procedures. and "sanctions violations. is critical.
U.S. law prohibits aid to countries that violate the Iraqi sanctions. Both Russia and Egypt, two U.S. aid'
recipients, in the last month have landed aircrafts in Baghdad without permission of the sanctions committee.
On Friday, the chairmen of the House and Senate committees dealing with foreign affairs, wrote
Secretary of State Madeline Albright to get her position on'whether the unauthorized flights constituted
sanctions violations. Senator Jesse Helms R-N.C. and Rep. Benjamin Gilman R-N.Y. wrote, that insuring Saddam Hussein cannot threaten American interests "will be increasingly difficult if Saddam's neighbors (and our allies and aid recipients) continue to violate the sanctions intended to protect them .•
If Albright determines that the unauthorized flights are in fact sanctions violations, she may be forced
to invoke section 534 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that prohibits aid to sanction busting
countries. In the case of Russia this would cost Moscow only between $160 and $180 billion, most
American support f<;>r
the country is in the form of loans and debt relief, two functions not covered in the
legislation. But for Egypt, the flights to Iraq could be much more costly. Egypt would receive $1.3 billion
in military assistance in the 2001 foreign aid bill and $695 million in economic assistance.
That bill is currently before the president, awaiting his signature. A House Appropriations Committee
staff member said that no further langLJage on the Iraqi flights was 'in the bill, but added: "Those funds
could be put at risk if the Iraqi sanctions were broken. I'm not sure whether one flight to Baghdad is technically violating the sanctions."
.,
.
.
.'
',The
sahctions question also has sQm~ political r~niifÎcations.ln.the
second presidential debat~this
'l11onth, Vice PresldemAI ~ore said: ~Bùt, yo!J kn.QW. all of these flights that havt;l come in?AII citth~,!,
have been in acèotdance withthes~nëtionsregirhe,l'm
told, exc~pt for three where they notifi~!:t!n
'&hould Albright respond that the f1ightswere in fact violating the sanctions, she m~y cause an apparerit
" âiscrepancy between the current administration and their party's candidate for president in thehöme
stretch of the election.
******
66
Interior Minister Tantansays corruption Is primary threat
Turkish Daily News October 31, 2000
by Incl Hekimoglu
Interior Minister Sadettin Tantan said on Monday that corruption threatened Turkey's economic and political stability.
"The corruption economy is Turkey's number one threat," Tantan told academics and reporters at a
conference on corruption at an Istanbul university. He said, "It lies at the root of many of our country's
problems and poses a future threat to our society and constitutional regime."
Corruption imposes a great burden on the economy and companies as Turkey tries to secure a foothold
in. European markets, bring down costs and cut inflation under an International Monetary Fund (IMF)backed anti-inflation plan. Some analysts describe it as a "hidden tax."
The minister, stressing the economic costs corruption imposes on a developing economy such as
Turkey's, warned that it also financed the radical Islam and violent Kurdish nationalism the military has
identified as primary threats to the country.
"Unless we understand that corruption is the main source of radical Islam, terrorism, dirty politics and
a state that does not function, and take the necessary steps to drain the swamp, we will spend all our
time swatting mosquitoes," he said.
The ex-police chief made no direct reference to Turkey's bid to join the European Union, but analysts
say a deep-seated culture of back-handers and influence-peddling could slow progress towards membership. The EU will formally tell Ankara next week what political changes it expects for talks to start.
High-level corruption was most notoriously exposed in 1996, when a car crash revealed links between
far-right organized crime and the state. The scandal prompted nationwide protests and calls for a cleanup, but prosecutions have gone nowhere.
Under Tantan, the Interior Ministry has made high-profile arrests and launched investigations into bribery and dishonesty among businessmen and middle-ranking state officials.
While a series of financial operations, starting with the bailout of eight private banks reached an apex
as Etibank and Bank Kapital were taken over by the state last week, the publie is questioning the relationship between bankers, politicians and bureaucrats. While the risk incurred by the state from the bailout is about $8.9 million, the proportions of the Egebank investigation revealed the extend to which
graft has permeated society.
Society's trust in the state was dealt a severe blowas it became clear that it was unable to take precautions against graft. The govemment bore down with the austerity measures in the context of the
three-year stability, program with the IMF, the staggering proportions of the risk incurred by the state
through the bailout operation was revealed.
Despite the lack of confidence, the public is carefully following the operations led by Interior Minister
Sadettin Tantan, first among which is the Egebank scandal, where Yahya Murat Demirel, nephew of former President Suleyman Demirel, is the main actor. Civic associations have begun to express their
concerns more openly as the proportion of corruption emerged. Noting that the struggle against corruption cannot succeed without enlisting the support of civic associations, the Turkish Economie and
Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) started a joint project with the Interior Ministry.
The project willlast two years
The first stage of the two-year corruption investigation launched by TESEV was discussed at a meeting
at Bogazici University yesterday. Tantan said, "The signing of the protocol was an indication of the significance attributed by the ministry to good relations with civic associations."
Tantan confirmed the "willingness and determination. of his ministry to conduct an investigation into corruption in coordination with TESEV. Defining corruption as "the robbery of publie resources and of the
savings of our nation,. Tantan emphasized that it had become the main weapon of organized crime
groups.
During the speech which coincides with the arrest of Murat Demirel and .Operation Typhoon," the code
67
name of the police investigation into the Egebank scandal, Tantan made the following comment: "Until
today, the architects and actors of the' corruption economy' were seen as effective, powerful and respectable citizens. Robbers and oppressors, who should have been condemned forever in the conscience of the people, walked_among_us_as_r:.lasp_ectable
and p[estLgiQus people."
Stressing that corruption violated the rights of the poor and the needy, shook democracy from its base,
breached the principle of the superiority of the law, decreased confidence in the state and impeded
development, Tantan described the legalloopholes encountered in the struggle against corruption. He
said that major crimes were evaluated as light offenses and received minor punishments because of
the "lack of expertise of prosecutors and judges. and only at the end of ' .very long interrogations." T
Tantan underlined his ministry's determination in the struggle against corruption and pointed out that
some people were disturbed by their efforts. "People who are worried by this struggle are waiting for an
opportunity to go back to their old habits and mentalities and divert our people from the fight," Tantan
said.
'
TESEV Chairman Can Paker described the starting point of tile struggle with corruption and drew attention to the obligations incurred by Turkey by applying for full membership of the, EU. He noted, "Turkey
should fulfill all of its obligations" for EU membership and said, "We need to be vigilant in the struggle
against corruption, a current issue which disturbs the public conscience. n
The project, which is the first large-scale study into corruption in Turkey, willlast for two years and include three stages. First, there will be a study of 3,000 households all over Turkey where people will be
, pqlled and intervi,ewec:iin depth. FolloWing the rese~rch, which Wjll take six to eight months, the seçt~
rai :cfistribution and the, ~èthods of corruption will be investigated. the third, sti1lgewill be dedicated to
,'educational, legal ane! administrative measures. The Tr~asury, tile Interior Ministry, the
State
Supervision Board and the Ministry of Justice will participate in the project.
**'****
Kurd faces trial in Germany as activist of banned party
AFP ~ 30 Oct 2000,
KARLSRUHE, Germany, Oct 30 (AFP) - 17h51 - A leading official in Germany of the banned Kurdistal)
Workers Party (PKK) has been committed for trial on charges of membership in a terrorist organisàtion,
officials said Monday.
Thé federal prosecutor's office said the suspect, identified only as Halat K., 40, was also charged with
inciting serious breaches of the peace.
He, along with other PKK cadres, is accused of ordering the occupation of the Greek consulates in
Frankfurt and Hanover, among others, in February 1999 in protest at the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan. Greek diplomats were involved in the arrest of Ocalan in Kenya by Turkish agents.
Stones were thrown at police guarding the Frankfurt mission, while in Hanover the occupant of an apartment above the consulate was held prisoner. There was also considerable material damage done to
both missions.
"
According to federal prosecutors, Halat
K. has held PKK responsibilities in Germany since 1994.
He was allegedly responsible from M~y 1994 to July 1995 for the PKK in the Stuttgart region and after
a period outside Germany took charge in April 1998 of the PKK's north German region covering Kassel,
Hanover, Bielefeld, Osnabrueck and Salzgitter. >From May last year until his arrest in March he was in
charge of a southem German region covering Frankfurt, Mainz, Giessen, Mannheim, Saarbruecken and
Darmstadt, they said. Since 1998 he was allegedly involved in procuring false identity papers in order to
smuggle PKK activists in and out ,of the country.
'
The PKK was banned in Germany in November 1993 after its militants mounted coordinated firebomb
and other attacks on Turkish interests around the country. The authorities have since then arrested and
charged a number of suspected senior PKK officials.
'
The PKK has since 1984 waged a bloody war in Turkey for Kurdish independence.
There are some two million Turkish nationals living in Germany, about a quarter of them Kurds.
68
Seven Foreign Planes Land in Baghdad
Reuters - 31 October 2000,
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven foreign planes landed in Baghdad Tuesday bringing officials and business
delegations to take part in the opening of a trade fair, the state news agency INA reported.
One plane each came from Ireland, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey and Lebanon, while three arrived from Russia, the agency said.
Arab countries and some others have been sending flights to Iraq to protest against decade-long sanctions - including extensive restrictions on intemational flights - imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of
Kuwait. The flights have been largely symbolic and have sought to lessen Baghdad's isolation by exploiting a loophole in a 1990 U.N. Security Council resolution.
The first plane to arrive from Ireland in a decade brought members of parliament and a trade delegation. A UAE Boeing 747 arrived with an eight-member delegation headed by the chairman 'of the national airline, INA said. A Russian Tu-154 landed at Saddam Intemational airport with a delegation of 50
members of parliament and businessmen led by Pyotr Romanov, a Communist deputy speaker of the
Russian lower house of parliament, the Duma.
They were due to participate in a Baghdad trade fair opening Wednesday. Another 15-member delegation of businessmen arrived on a later flight. "The visit affirms the deep-rooted relations between Russia
and Iraq," Romanov told INA.
An earlier direct flight from Siberia had brought a number of Siberian officials and artists. Airport officials said a Lebanese and a Turkish plane landed carrying business delegations.
"The visit aims to boost friendship ties between the two countries'
the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, told INA.
peoples," Jacques Sarraf, head of
The Lebanese delegation received a red carpet welcome from Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh.
******
Turkish pollee round up senior members of extreme Muslim group
31 Oct 2000 Agence France-Presse
ISTANBUL, Oct 31 (AFP) - Police in Istanbul have rounded up 18 suspected members of the Islamie
extremist group Hizbullah, including fIVe senior commanders, Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday.
Acting on a tip, police raided a house in Kartal district, on Istanbul's Asian side, where the suspects had
gathered for a meeting to discuss ways of reviving their organization, the victim of a massive police
crackdown since January, Anatolia said without specifying when the raid took place.
Among those captured was Mehmet Sudan, believed to have taken over the leadership of the group
since mid-January when Hizbullah leader Huseyin Velioglu was killed and two senior commanders captured in a shootout with police in Istanbul, the agency said.
Following the shootout, police launched a nationwide crackdown on Hizbullah, rounding up hundreds of
suspected members and recovering the bodies of 68 people kidnapped and murdered by the group
across Turkey.
Turkish authorities say the group, which is not believed to have links with its Lebanese namesake, aims
to overthrow the country's strictly secular order and replace it with a hardline Islamic state.
Hizbullah'
is blamed in all for some 500 murders committed between 1991 and 1999.
Prosecutors dealing with
the cases of suspected Hizbullah militants have accused Iran of providing military training and financial
support for the group.
69
. .
Turkish troops 101112Kurdish rebëls in southeastern provinèë
..AFP - 30 Oct 2000
.
-
.
. OjYARBAKIR, Turkey, .Oct 30 (AFP)- Bh14 - Turkish soldiers have killed 12 Kurdistan Workers PartY
(pKK) rebels in one of the deadliest clashes in recent months in the southeastern province of Siniak,
security officials said Monday.
Three members of the Turkish security forces were wounded duringthe fighting ina rural area near the
town of Beytusebap in the province which borders Syria and Iraq, a statement from the emergency rule
headquarters in this southeastern city said. The statement did not say when the clash took place.
Previously heavy fighting in the mainly Kurdish-populated southeast and east has scaled down considerably since September 1999, when the PKK said it was halting its 15-year armed campaign for selfrule and pulling out of Turkish territory. The truce announcement, launched folowing peace calls from
condemned PKK rebelleader Abdullah Ocalan, was brushed aside by the Turkish army as a "ploys.
The conflict has claimed- some 36,500 lives, according to official figures.
******
The Mothers for Peace .were exposed to sexual harassment
Kurdish Observer - 31 Oct 2000
ISTANBUL
Detained at Habur Border Gate after holding a meeting with PUK (Kurdistan Patriotic Unity) Leader Jalàl
Talebani in Suleymania in order to put an end to the assaults between PKK (Kurdistan Workers" Pa~)
and PUK and to secure peace, the Mothers for Peace were reported as being tortured and harassed
detention.
in
Lawyer Eren Keskin, IHD (Human Rights Association) Istanbul Branch Chairwoman who prepared a follow-up report after holding meeting with the Mothers in Mardin Prison, stated that the mothers had been
tortured and sexually harassed for 3 days in Silopi Gendarmerie Station in which they were detained.
Keskin continued saying the following: "The mothers whose eyes were blindfolded and who were
undressed stark naked must endure to the harassment of the soldiers who were in the age of their
grandsons. Fahriye Bikim who was 65 year old, and had been through an operation and had high blood
tension problem, was made stand in the cell for all night long in spite that she expressed her health problem clearly, and was insulted sexually. Rahime Ince, age 65, was throttled, her hairs were pulled off
and her shoulders were crushed in by a heavy material. But the very thing which most hurt the mothers"
feelings was insults such as "Whore", "Harlot" and "Did you make sex with Talebani?" and statement
that their daughters made love with men .•
Undressed stark naked and tortured
Pointing out that Muesser Gunes, Sekemaz Cakar and Azize Yildiz were undressed buck naked and
sexually harassed, Keskin continued saying with. words to the effect: 'iAzize Yildiz was insulted by soldiers with words such as "whore", .prostitute". She was beaten and threatened with rape. Sekemàz
Cakar, despite she expressed clearly she has been through 6 operations, was hit on her head, and
when her nose bleed they claimed she pretended and was a terrorist and continued making tortur'e.~: ..
'''White tulbent" campaign
. Stati!"g that they as~ed for women organizations to send white "tulbent" (a traditional Kurdish he~~
... searl) to the President, Prime Mini~ter, Justice Minister and Sema Piskinsut, Chàirwoman of Grand
National Assembly Human Rightslnvestigation and Fact-FindingCommittee, Keskin requested the
t~rers should be tried. Lawyer Fatma Karakàs, holding. meeting with the mothers said that they would
file a complaint against the officials of Silopi Gendarmerie Station.
tÇ)r~
******
70
LE MONDE DIPLOMA77QUE -
OCTOBRE 2000
ENQUÊTE SUR UNE COMMISSION OCCULTE
..
« L'Irak paiera ! »
Durant la guerre du Golfe de 1991, les Etats-Unis ont délibérément visé les
approvisionnements en eau potable de l'Irak, violant ainsi la convention de Genève
sur les lois de la guerre. La récente étude d'un universitaire américain qui a révélé
ce crime a été ignorée par les médias. Elle confirme pourtant la stratégie de
destruction délibérée de tout un pays. Près de dix ans après la fin du conflit, une
population impuissante continue de payer le prix d'une double intransigeance,
celle des Etats-Unis et celle du régime du président Saddam Hussein.
Malgré les brèches dans le mur de l'embargo que représentent les vols directs
entre d'un côté, Moscou, Paris et Amman, de l'autre Bagdad, rien n'annonce un
assouplissement de la position de Washington. Au contraire, la campagne électorale
américaine donne lieu à des surenchères. Et le pillage de l'Irak se poursuit, comme
le montre le travail de la commission d'indemnisation des Nations unies pour l'Irak,
une instance occulte, qui siphonne un tiers des revenus des exportations de ce pays
et dont lefonctionnement comme la légalité sont plus que douteux ...
Par ALAIN GRESH
OUR la première fois, le IS juin
2000, le consensus s'est brisé. Le
climat affable des réunions routinières du conseil d'administration s'est
brusquement tendu. Pourtant, Genève
est peu propice aux éclats de voix. On y
préfère le silence protecteur, les discussions feutrées, l'absence de publicité. Il
est vrai que les sommes en jeu impressionnent: 15,9 milliards de dollars, deux
fois le produit intérieur brut de la Jordanie. Il ne s'agit ni de fusion bancaire, ni
d'argent sale recyclé, ni d'offre publique
d'acbat. Les participants ne sont pas des
financiers, encore moins des banquiers,
mais des diplomates de baut rang des
quinze pays membres du Conseil de
sécurité des Nations unies.
Quelques .lignes
d'une
dépêche
d'agence, rarement reproduites, rappellent parfois les bombardements quotidiens menés par l'aviation
angloaméricaine contre l'Irak. Mais pas un
journaliste ne hante les couloirs de la
commission
d'indemnisation.
Aucun
débat public ne se déroule sur sa
légalité, contestable, ou sur ses pratiques, douteuses. Pourtant, les caisses
de cette institution ont récupéré, depuis
décembre 1996, un tiers des revenus
des exportations de Bagdad : Il milliards de dollars ...
Ils doivent se prononcer sur une des
demandes
d'indemnisation
formulée
notamment par la Kuwait Petroleum
Corporation à l'encontre de Bagdad. Les
diplomates français et russes exposent
leurs réserves. Un tel pactôle peut-il être
ponctionné sur les ressources d'un pays,
l'Irak, dont tous les rapports confirment
qu'il s'enfonce dans la misère? La session est ajournée au 30 juin. Nouvelle
réunion, nouvelle impasse, nouveau
report à fm septembre 2000.
Avec ses bureaux disséminés dans
la Genève
internationale,
l'United
Nations Compensation
Commission
(UNCC), la commission d'indemnisation des Nàtions unies pour l'Irak,
méconnue du public, poursuit ses travaux depuis bientôt dix ans. A l'abri des
regards indiscrets, cette instance occulte
constitue pourtant un des rouages essentiels de la stratégie d'anéantissement de
l'Irak. On évoque souvent les sanctions
contre ce pays, les enfants qui meurent
faute de soins, les hôpitaux sans matériel, le délitement d'une des plus vieilles
civilisations de la planète.
droit international, de toutes les pertes,
de tous les dommages (oo.), ainsi que de
tous les préjudices subis par d'autres
Etats et par des personnes physiques et
des sociétés étrangères, directement
imputables à l'invasion et ['occupation
illicite du Koweït par l'Irak ». Chargée
P
En avril 1991, au lendemain de la victoire des alliés dans la guerre du Golfe,
le Conseil de sécurité confirme que
l'Irak « est responsable, en vertu du
de recueillir les demandes d'indemnisation, l'UNCC est créée par la résolution
692 du Conseil de sécurité du 20 mai
1991 (lire article, page 17). Son conseil
d'administration se compose dés représentants des quinze membres du Conseil
de sécurité. Il décide du montant des
indemnisations à verser à chaque plaignant, sur la base d'un rapport présenté
par un groupe de trois commissaires, des
experts choisis par le secrétariat exécutif, organe en prinçipe administratif,
mais qui est le lieu du réel pouvoir. Pris
en main, dès sa création, par les représentants des Etats-Unis, le secrétariat a
« orienté» - désorienté serait un terme
plus exact - toutes les décisions de la
commission.
La procédure adoptée par le Conseil
de sécurité n'a pas de précédent, au
mOins depuis le traité de Versailles, qui
avait mis fm à la première guerre mondiale et ... jeté les bases de la seconde.
L'article 231 de ce texte rendait l' Allemagne seule responsable de la guerre et
l'obligeait à régler d'infmies réparations. Le mot d'ordre - « L'Allemagne
paiera !» - allait déboucher sur la prise
de pouvoir par Adolf Hitler. Désormais,
le slogan des Etats-Unis, qui avaient
refusé de ratifier le traité de Versailles,
est « L'Irak paiera! ». Avec quelles
conséquences?
Ancien professeur de droit international public, avocat du cabinet Lalive &
Parners (I ), Michael E. Schneider
dénonce la principale aberration de la
procédure : l'Irak n'est pas reconnu
comme « une partie dans un procès (a
defendant party). On se passe de l'ac-
cord du principal intéressé. L'Irak, et
l'Irak seul, doit payer pour chaque centime de la procédure, pour les émoluments des commissaires et de leurs
experts alors que le pays n'a même pas
accès aux travaux de ces mêmes
experts ». Bagdad doit rendre des
comptes pour les dommages provoqués
par son invasion meurtrière du Koweït.
Mais même un criminel a droit à une
défense et à des avocats ; et on ne lui
demande pas de payer la procédure, les
juges et 1'« enquête». On ponctionne
chaque année SO millions de dollars sur
les exportations irakiennes pour subventionner la commission,
le moindre
déplacement de ses experts - en classe
affaires -, les appointements substantiels
des commissaires...
Pour la première
fois dans l'histoire du droit international
depuis la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale, un Etat n'a pas son mot à dire
dans une procédure qui le concerne.
Une procédure digne de l'Inquisition
MBASSADEUR de Bagdad auprès
A
des Nations unies à Genève,
M. Mohamed El Douri, ancien professeur de 'droit international, travaille
« sous embargo». L'Irak a perdu son
droit de vote aux Nations unies, parce
qu'il n'a pas acquitté ses cotisations (2),
alors que le plus gros débiteur de l' organisation, les Etats-Unis (plus de 1 milliard de dollars de dette), n'a jamais fait
l'objet d'une telle sanction. Les communications de l'ambassadeur irakien avec
son gouvernement sont laborieuses; un
émissaire met quatre jours au minimum
pour aller de Bagdad à Genève et retour.
Même le matériel minimal lui manque :
la compagnie Xerox a refusé de lui
vendre des photocopieuses, par peur,
sans doute, qu'il ne les transforme en
armes chimiques ...
M. El Douri s'explique longuement,
minutieusement. Les dossiers n" 4003197
et 4004439, présentés notamment par la
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, pour la
somme de 21,6 milliards de dollars, évo-
71
qués plus haut, sont exemplaires. Ds
concernent la suspension de la production
et de la vente de pétrole koweïtien durant
l'occupation irakienne, ainsi que les
pertes-dues-aux-incenàies-notalIiîfIenCw,
attendus koweïtiens, plusieurs dizaines de
milliers de pages, ont été déposés, les'
20 mai et 24 juin 1994, devant les trois
coriunissaires chargés du dossier. Bagdad
n'a été infonné de leur contenu qu'à tra-,
vers 'un résumé du secrétariat exécutif
le... 2 féVrier 1999, cinq ans après! Il a
eu jusqu'au 19 septembre pour présenter
ses observations.'
Or, explique la délégation' irakienne,
--le13 juin 2000, au conseil d'administration, « [ces deux demandes] touchent
, borés par le secrétariàf~écUtif et de les
commenter ». Urie procédure 'qui relèvè
plus de l'Inquisition que des formes juridiques modemes, - ce que reconnaît
-M-=--N~rbert-Wüliler;le::èlierdu-departement 'légal de l'UNCG:, qui parle de
« procédure inquisitoriale (3) ». Comme
le déclarait le premier secrétaire exécutif
de l'UNCC, M. Carlos AIzamora, tous
ces garde-fous légaux « qui encombrent
les" processus judiciaires.», ont été
éliinitiés.
''
bunal, établi au début des années 1980 et
qui continue de travailler à La Haye:pour
régler le contentieux entre les deUxpays.
Ces, deux responsables aff'rrment :
«Nous sommes impartiaux. Les commissions ont pris en compte les positions
de l'Irak. D'autant que noUs avons dû
traitér plusieurs centaines de milliers tie
demandes en, un temps très rapide.
Beaucoup de plaignants nous accusent
mfme d'être tropfavorables à l'Irak »
« Impartiaux » ? En' avril 1995,
M. Erik Wilbers, responsable de l'unité
I:UNCC justifie ses pratiques par la
des indemnisations C, réunit ses colla'nécessité de rembourser rapidement les
, borateurs ; « Tout ce travail abstrait que
centaines de milliers de « petits », de
nous faisons dans ce bâtiment à air
« sans grade »,gravement lésés par l'inéonditionné' en Suisse nous amène facitrop 'd'aspects':.légaux, scientifiques,
Vasion du Koweït: sur les 2,6 millions
lement à oublier ce pourquoi nous
techniques et' comptables.. .JVus' devez
de demandes d'indemnisation, la quasis~mmes ,ici, aider les plaignants. » Et il
vous irnpginer le temps nécessaire pour
totalité proviennent de particuliers. Mais
ajoute, evoquant les tortures subies par
rränsmettrê'ï::ës 'volumineux documents.
la sonime qu'ils réclament se monte à
les Koweïtiens : « Il est utile pour nous
les vérifier. les étudier. les traduire eN
seulement 20 milliards de dollars sur les
. (le nous souvenir du luxe dans lequel
arabe et ensuite préparer une réponse•.' 3~0 milliards d'indemnisatIon exigés d"
nous sommes. Nous sommes tous plus ou
qu'ilfaut encore traduire en anglais. »
l'Irak. Ainsi, les IS milliards de dollars
moins coupables, et l'important est que
'offerts à la: Kuwait Pe~oleum Corporavous vous en souveniez quand vous avez
La, commission n'a pas autorisé le
tionéquivalent au montant total des'
l'i'!'l?,ression d'aller. "un peu trop
gouvernement irakien à prélever sur
réparations qui seront fmalement accor10m ... » « Un peu trop loin»? Un
l'argent de ses exportations - son propre
dées à 2,6 millions de particuliers - ils
appel
voilé à « dépasser la légalité »...
argent !,- pour assurer le paiement de
representent aussi le double de ce que le
'Un ancien fonctionnaire égyptien
grands cabinets juridiques. « Nous avons' gouvernemmtcentral irakien a effectiayant travaillé dans cette unité se soutoutefois remis nos observations, pour- 'vêment, reçu;' entre décembre 1996 et
vient qu'on lui demandait régulièresuit l'ambassadeur, auxquelles le Kowe;t juillet '2000~ pour nourrir et soigner
ment, dans son travail, de « rendre les
a répondu, mais... nous ne connaissons.18millions
de personnes. En instituant,
critères aussi généreux que possible»,
pas le contenu de cette réplique. Après 'pour
les requêtes iildividuelles, des propour aboutir à un maximum de répon~es
bien des tergiversations, nous': avons
tédures accélérées" fondées notamment
favorables. ,Un,
euroreçu le droit de présenter nosobserva~
sur des modèles statistiques, la commis. autre.-.Jonctionnaire
.
tions - en une' heure maximum!~,
sion a certes permis aux particuliers
péen a été frappé par une formule régu- .
devant les commissaires, le 14 décembre ,d'être indemnisés. Mais au prix de
lièrement utilisée : « doctoring the
1999. » Ceux-ci ont finalement accordé
nombre de manipulations politiques ...
samples» (manipuler les échantillons).
15,9 milliards aux plaignants, soulevant
Ainsi, les modèles statistiques qui
les réserves française et russe au conseil
'Les réclamations classées dans la
devaient permettre de rembourser rapid'administration. Pour la première' fois, catégorie C regroupent 1 659 840
dement les victimes, ont été allègrement
le consensus était rompu. « L'Irak est demandes individuelles - destruction de
modifiés.
responsable, conclut l'ambassadeur,
biens, angoisse (mental pain anguish),
Le peu de documents de première
mais cela n'autorise pas à violer le droit ' . obligation de se cacher, etc. - pour des
main (reçus, factures, etc.) fournis par
international. »
indemnités de moins delOO 000 dollars.
les plaignants facilite ces manœuvres.
« Comment peut-on traiter les dos-'
s~tembre 2000, les derniers plaiAinsi, les Koweïtiens ont rempli
siers sans avis contradictoires, s'inter_jiânts9~tvu
IeUl:S :èâs réglés. Le fait
160000 demandes individuelles, cerroge Michael E. Schneider, sans donnerqù~>seùlement
632 004 demandes aient
taines au nom de nourrissons ... Dans de
'
obtenu satisfaction ne doit pas faire illuIa possi bil ité à chacune
ues parties de "sion,surle caÏ'àctère sérieux du travail.
nombreux cas, des dossiers différents
. présenter son point, de. vue ? Face aux .En',fait, cette catégorie comprenait une
portaient les mêmes numéros de télédossiers ficelés, comment réagir? Le
'requête gro~pée 'de.' 1240000 traphone, concernaient les mêmes pertes.
Koweït a fait un appel d'offres interna.vailleuis
égyptiens. Celle-ci soustraite,
Plusieurs documents signalent ces
« doublons» ; la représentante chinoise
tional P'our préparer ses dosSiers et së 'restent en réalité' 420 000 réclamaprotesta même à plusieurs reprises, un
défendre. Pour 4éficeler. il faudrait uii, lions C, dont.. . 408 187 . furent satis. audit critiqua les méthodes (lire encadré
travail minutieux que la commissionn 'ci ,faites, soit plus de 97 %;
,
pas le temps de jaire. Non seulement
page 16), sans succès...
l'Irak s'est vu refuser l'argent pour se
Mais tous les plaignantS il'ont pas été
. Un autre fonctionnaire européen
défendre, mais, deplus, les services de
traités de .l~ même manière. Près de
évoque les pressions organisées par la
tous les grands cabinets d'avocats sont
100 % des 160000 demandes koweïdélégation koweïtienne « de manière
déjà loues soit par les plaignants. soit
tiennes ont obtenu satisfaction,' certaines
que les procédures soient favorables à
pa!, l'UNCe. » Plusieurs ~abinets, dont
recevant même 110 % des 'somines~xison pays. La victime participait d'un
Pnce Waterhouse," ont été embauchés
peu trop près à cette élaboration. Ils
par l'UN,CC, aprèsav~ir travaillé pOur. gées. Enrevanche, les 40 000 Jordaillens
n'étaient pas dans nos locaux tous les
les aut()ntés koweïti~es, ce qui, n'est.
(pour' l'essentiel des Palestiniens) n'ont
jours, cela serait un peu excessif.
pas sans poser une que$tion de «.èontlitS, été remboursés qu'à 40 %.
,
,
Disons, tous lesjours et demi ... ». Ainsi,
d'intérêts»."
",
. '
Dès l'origine, la procédure C a été
de nombreux hommes d'affaires koweï« orientée ». Homme-cIef de l'UNCC,
tiens seront remboursés pour des entreEn 1991, le secrét8Ue général des
M. Michael F. Raboin est le secrétaire
prises appartenant à des Arabes, Souvent
Nations ~es avait ,~prnmaDdé, qu.~
exécutif adjoint, responsable de la divides Palestiniens : la loi koweïtienne oblil'Irak SOtt. « infonh~',iJti:., 'toutes. /1130
sion de traiteD)ent des réclamations (il
geait les étrangers à passer par un
demandes (c1àims) et>'rjulf'disfio"ie ;ru
supervise donc toutes les demandes
« prête-nom» local pour ouvrir une
droit de présenrër ses èén,mentairés àtà
d'indemnisation) et. citoyen américain.
entreprise...
commissaires ~). Finalem:ènt,,le Conseil
C'est lui qui amis en place le secrétade sécurité ~e I:.apas suivi ~l a simple- . riat, dès. 1991. Il a àmené avec lui
Plus scandaleux encore, le gouvernement ~cepte que Bagdad lUt « un droit
M. Norbert Wuhler, avec qui il avait trament américain a officiellement
de rec~oir :un résumé,4.e.s.' rapports élavaillé à l'Iran-United States ClaimS Tridemandé - en février 1998 - au conseil
en;
.1'
72
i
d'administration
de revoir les paramètres pour le paiement des Koweïtiens.
«Les Etats-Unis rappellent qu'ils ont
appuyé l'utilisation d'un modèle statis.tique comme une voie juste pour traiter
un large nombre de demandes sur une
base rapide. Néanmoins, ils sont préoccupés parce qu'il pourrait y avoir une
erreur dans le modèle. » Le secrétariat
exécutif se eliera à ce «conseil». Les
pratiques utilisées par Washington rappellent la manipulation par les EtatsUnis de l'Unscom, la commission d'inspection pour le désarmement de l'Irak,
truffée d'agents de la CIA ...
..
Les plus gros dossiers d'indemnisation sont en voie d'examen - il restait
ainsi, au 16 juin 2000, 267 milliards de
dollars de demandes à traiter. Bien sûr,
nombre d'entre elles, fantaisistes, ont été
ou seront rejetées (certains pays ont
demandé de l'argent pour le coût de
mobilisation de leurs troupes). Mais il
faut remarquer que les alliés des EtatsUnis, Koweït, Arabie saoudite ou Israël,
bénéficient d'un traitement de faveur
sous prétexte notamment qu'ils ont été
touchés par des missiles Scud. Ainsi, des
entreprises de fleurs ou de légumes, de
nombreux cinémas et hôtels israéliens
ont reçu des millions de dollars pour
compenser la baisse de leurs activités
durant la crise...
Imagine-t-on
la
Grande-Bretagne
exigeant de l'Allemagne des compensations parce que la
fréquentation des salles de cinéma a
diminué entre 1939 et 1945?
Les demandes déposées par les différents ministères koweïtiens (catégorie
F-3) pour une somme de 2,2 milliards de
dollars ont été satisfaites à hauteur de
l,53 milliard. La commission chargée
du dossier a envoyé six missions au
Koweït et aux Etats-Unis pour vérifier
les demandes, mais sans la présence
d'un représentant de l'Irak, qui n'a pas
non plus été invité à s'exprimer devant
les commissaires. Les membres de la
commission eux-mêmes ne s'y sont pas
rendus (sauf dans un cas), se bornant à
envoyer des «experts» fournis par le
secrétariat exécutif, dont le rôle va croissant. Et toutes les questions soulevées
par les «gains» ou les «économies»
que le Koweït a pu faire en raison de la
guerre - augmentation des prix du
pétrole, non-activité de ses institutions
(et donc diminution des dépenses)
durant plusieurs mois, renouvellement
de son capital - furent soit ignorées, soit
à peine eftleurées.
I
La commission a reçu des demandes
d'indemnisation
pour une valeur de
320 milliards de dollars, dont 180 milliards pour le seul Koweït - l'équivalent
de neuf fois le produit intérieur brut du
pays en 1989, ce qui n'a l'air d'étonner
personne. A supposer même, comme on
le dit dans les couloirs de la commission,
que les indemnités accordées se limitent
à un tiers de cette somme, cela représenterait 100 milliards de doll~. Auxquels
il faut ajouter les intérêts, pour des
périodes variant de 10 à IS ans : on
atteindrait ainsi la somme d'environ
300 milliards de dollars (4). Ce qui, au
prix actuel du baril, très élevé, représente
entre quinze et vingt ans de l'ensemble
des exportations pétrolières de l'Irak. Si
le pays continue à y consacrer un tiers de
ses recettes, il aura achevé ses remboursements en 2050 ou 2060 (5) - sans parler des dettes antérieures au 2 août
1990... Que restera-t-il alors des écoles,
des hôpitaux, des infrastructures irakiennes (6) ?
.
Est-il légal de faire payer un pays
indépendamment de ses capacités, sans
fixer aucun plafond? ~article 14 du
traité de paix entre les Etats-Unis et le
Japon de 1951 affirmait : «Le Japon
devrait payer des réparations aux puissances alliées pour les dommages et les
souffrances causés durant la guerre.
Néanmoins, nous reconnaissons que les
ressources du Japon ne sont pas suffisantes s'il veut maintenir une économie
viable, payer totalement les réparations (oo.) et remplir en même temps ses
autres obligations (7). »
Rappelons que le chef de l'Etat était à
l'époque l'empereur Hirohito, un criminel de guerre qui aurait été passible
(comme le président Saddam Hussein),
de la Cour pénale internationale...
si
celle-ci avait existé. D'ailleurs, la résolution 687 reconnaissait aussi que l'on
devrait prendre en compte, pour le paiement des indemnités, «les besoins du
peuple irakien, la capacité de paiement
de l'Irak ». Mais les Nations unies respectent-elles leurs propres textes?
Une rançon honteuse
D
EP~~ de longues. années, la comrmsslon de drOIt international
mise en place par les Nations unies:
planche sur le thème de la responsabilité
des Etats. Elle prépare une convention
qui fait l'objet d'un large consensus.
Dans l'article 42 du texte élaboré il est
précisé : «En aucun cas la répdration
n'a pour effet de priver une population
de ses propres moyens de subsistance. »
Certains juristes, comme l'Allemand
Bernard Graefrath, ont été plus loin et
mettent en cause le droit du Conseil de
sécurité de déterminer les montants des
compensations dans un litige entre deux
parties. A plusieurs reprises - attaque
israélienne contre l'aéroport de Beyrouth en 1968, agression portugaise
contre la Guinée en 1970 ou celle de
l'Afrique du Sud contre l'Angola en
1976 -, le Conseil de sécurité a décidé
que des indemnités étaient dues aux victimes, mais sans jamais en fIXer les
mon~ts. Cela ne relève pas de ses prérogatIves. Dans le cas de l'Angola, par
exemple, le representant britannique au
Conseil de sécurité rappelait à l'époque:
« Le Conseil de sécurité n'est pas une
cour de.fustice et il n'est pas le lieu
appropne pour se prononcer sur des
demandes de compensations. »
Interrogé, M. Raboin, comme d'autres
mem~res du secrétariat, précise : « Nous
~nslOns q'!e les Nations unies, avec
~ UNCC, mau~raient
une nouvelle
epo9ue, marquee par la victoire du
droit. » On a vu rapidement ce qui est
advenu, depuis ce précédent, de ce
«nouvel ordre mondial» en Bosnie
comm~ au Liban sud ou en Palestine ...
Con~mdra-t-o~ Israël à payer des compensations au LIban pour les vingt-cinq
années d'occupation du sud du pays du
Cèdre ? Conune le confie un diplomate
e,uropéen, . le fonc~onnement partial de
I ~CC
tient plutot à la situation internatio~ale. de. 1991. «Aujourd'hui, une
telle InstitutlO~ ne v,errait pas le jour.
L,€! Etats-Ums seraient incapables de
11mposer.. Tout. le
monde
sy
0l!pos~II.»
Pans, d'ailleurs,
tente
d obtemr un changement de procédure
a~ec la possibilité pour l'Irak de s~
défendre, et une baisse de 30 % à 20 %
~es so~~~
prélevées sur ses exportatIOns petroheres pour les indemnisations.
Tite-Live !'8pporte cette histoire, sans
doute mythique, puisqu'elle date de
385. avant J!sus-Christ. Rome, vaincue,
d~clda de. ~egocier. Le Sénat chargea les
tri~uns !Ddl~ires de traiter avec les Gau1~IS,qUI asSIégeaient la ville. On se mit
d accord sur une rançon de I 000 livres
d'~r, rançon honteuse «pour un peuple
qUI allait bientôt commander le
"!ond~ ». (~A ce/ait déjà révoltant, précIse TIte-LIve, s ajouta une action révoltante. Les poids apportés par les vainqueurs étaient faux, et comme le tribun
le~ .refusait, le Gaulois eut l'insolence
d ajouter aux poids son épée et de prononce~ ce mot insupportable pour des
Romams : "Malheur aux vaincus ," »
ALAIN GRESH.
(I) L'Cicabirtet a déposé une.demallde pour assurer
la défense de l'[rak sur les fonds de l'UNCC. Cette '
demande a été rejetée. Lire Michael E. Schneider
« How Fair and Efficient is the United Nations Com:
pensation Commission System », Journal of ln/erna/ional Arbitra/ion, vol. 15, nO [, mars [998.
~~) La proposition de l'[rak que les Nations unies
prelevent cette somme sur les exportations de
pétrole a été rejetée.
P) Lire so~ t~xte « The United Nations Compensallon C:0mmls~lon : A ~ew contribution to the process of I.ntemallonal claims resolution », Journal of
In/erna/lOnal Economic Law, Oxford University
Press, Oxford, 1999.
. (4) Le [.8 décembrt"I992, lecimseil d'administration a décidé que les intérêts seront payés.
, (5) Les demandes d'indemnisation
déposées à
I UNCC ne mettent pas fin à toutes les procédures
con~ l'I.rak, puisque cette commission n'a pas
v~tlOn a une compétence exclusive ... Tel ou tel
plaignant peut aussi poursuivre Bagdad pour
d'autres « indemnisations ».
(6) Lire « Muette agonie de l'[rak », Le Monde
diplomatique. juillet 1999.
. (7) Cité par Bem.hard Graefrath, « Iraqi ReparalIons and the Secunty Council », Heidelberg Journal of Interna/ional Law, 1995, 55/1.
73
LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE - OCTOBRE 2000
I
~
1-
~
.
.KE-V-ELÂTfON-S-Stj-R LE .eôtJP-])'
~
ETAT-fiß-195 3
Quand la CIA complotait
en Iran
POUR
la première fois, le 19 mars 2000, la secrétaire d'Etat
américaine Madeleine Albright reconnaissait 1'« implication» des
Etat-Unis dans le coup d'Etat qui renversa le premier ministre
iranien Mohammad Mossadegh en 1953: Pourtant, les circonstances
de cette intervention restent mal connues. Un rapport de la CIA,
divulgué en avril 2000 par le New York Times, révèle le rôle joué par
les services secrets de Londres et de Washington dans un événement
qui renversa les rapports de forces au Proche-Orient.
Par MARK GASIOROWSKI *
a
Il y
quelques mois, le New York
Times reçoit le rapport officiel du coup
d'Etat mené en 1953 par la CIA contre
le premier ministre iranien Mohamlnad
Mossadegh. Le 16 juin 2000, le journal
publie ce récit sur son site Internet (1).
Les noms de plusieurs personnalités iraniennes impliquées y sont effacés, mais
• Professeur de sciences politiques à l'université
d'Etat de Louisiane, Baton Rouge.
la plupart .d'entfe elles sont déSignées
nommément sur un autre site (2). Ce
document passionnant contient d'importantes révélations sur la manière dont
cette. opération fut menée, et toute personne intéressée par la politique intérieure de l'Iran ou la politique étrangère
américaine devrait le lire.
Le coup d'Etat s'est produit pendant
une période de grande effervescence de
J'histoire iranieruie et au plus fort de la
guerre froide. Mohammad Mossadegh
est alors chef du Front national, organisation politique fondée en 1949 et militant pour la nationalisation de l'industrie
pétrolière, alors sous domination britannique, ainsi que pour la démocratisation
du système politique. Ces deux questions passionnent la population, et le
Front national. devient rapidement le
principal acteur de la scène politique iranienne. En 1951, le chah Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi est contraint de nationaliser l'industrie pétrolière et de nommer
.Mossadegh premier ministre, provoquant une confrontation ouverte avec le
gouvernement britannique. La GrandeBretagne réagit en organisant un
embargo général sur le pétrole iranien et
engage des manœuvres à long terme
visant à renverser Mossadegh.
Les Etats-Unis décident tout d'abord
de rester neutres et encouragent les Britanniques à accepter la nationalisation
tout en essayant de négocier tin arrangement à l'amiable, allant jusqu'à persuader Londres, en septembre 1951, de ne
pas envahir l'Iran. Cette neutralité continue jusqu'à la fin de l'administration de
Harry S.Trurnan, en janvier 1953, même
si de nombreux dirigeants américains
estiment déjà que l'obstination de Mossadegh crée une instabilité politique
mettant l'Iran « en réel danger de passer
derrière le rideau de fer» (page III du
rapport). En novembre 1952, peu après
l'élection du général Dwight D. Eisenhower à la présidence des Etats-Unis, de
hauts responsables britanniques proposent à leurs homologues américains de
mener conjointement un coup d'Etal
contre Mossadegh. Ceux-ci répondent
que l'administration sortante n'entreprendra jamais une telle opération, mais
que celle d:Eisenhower, qui va entrer en
fonction en janvier, déterminée à intensifier la guerre froide, serait probablement susceptible de le faire.
Le récit de la CIA rend bien compte
de la manière dont fut préparée l' opération. Après autorisation du président
Eisenhower en mars 1953, des officiers
de la CIA étudient la manière dont pourrait être mené le coup d'Etat et se penchent sur le problème du remplacement
du premier ministre. Leur choix se porte .
rapidement sur Fazlollah Zahedi, un
général à la retraite qui avait déjà comploté avec les Britanniques. En mai, un
MOHAMMAD
74
MOSSADEGH
(1881-1967), deuxième à partir de la gauche
agent de la CIA et un spéCialiste de
l'Iran travaillant pour le Secret InteIli-
gence Service (SIS).bri~que
passen!
deux semaines à NIcosie (Chypre), ou
ils mettent au point une première version
du plan. Des responsables de la CIA et
du SIS la révisent, et une version défmitive est écrite à Londres à la mi-juin.
•
Ce plan était divisé en six étapes p~cipales. Tout d'abord, l'antenne tranienne de la CIA et le plus important
réseau de renseignement britannique ~
Iran, alors dirigé par les frères RashidiaD, devaient déstabiliser le gouvernement Mossadegh par le biais de la propagande et d'autres activités politiques
clandestines. Fazlollah Zahedi organiserait ensuite un réseau constitué d'officiers capables de mener le co~p d'Etat.
Troisième étape, la CIA devaIt « acheter» la collaboration d'un nombre suffisant de parlementaires iraniens afm de
s'assurer que le corps législatif s'opposerait à Mossadegh. Puis des efforts
sérieux devaient permettre de persuader
le chah de soutenir le coup d'Etat, ainsi
que Zahedi, même s'il était établi que
l'opération serait menée avec ou sans
l'accord du monarque.
La CIA devait ensuite tenter, de
manière «quasi légale» (page A3), de
renverser Mossadegh en provoquant une
crise politique au cours de laquelle le
Parlement le destituerait. Cette crise
serait provoquée par ~es manifestati~~
de protestation organisées par des dirigeants religieux, qui persuaderaient le
chah de quitter le pays, ou créeraient ~e
situation forçant Mossadegh à démiSsionner. Enfin, si cette tentative venait à
échouer, le réseau militaire monté par
Fazlollah Zahedi s'emparerait du pouvoir avec l'aide de la CIA.
~ Par n'importe quel moyen»
EStrois premières étapes étaient .en
L
fait déjà entamées pendant la mise
au point du plan de Londres ». Le
«
4 avril, la section de la CIA à Téhéran
reçoit I million de dollars destiné à
«Jaire tomber Mossade[gh] par n'importe quel moyen» (page 3). En mai,
elle déclenche. avec les frères Rashi-
dian, une campagne de propagande'
contre Mossadegh et, on le suppose,
mène d'autres actions clandestines
contre ce dernier. Ces efforts redoublenf'de manière brutale au cours des
semames précédant le coup d'Etat
(page 92).
La CIA prend contact avec Fazlollah
Zahedi en avril, lui versant 60 000 dollars (et peut-être bien plus) afin qu'il
« trouve de nouveaux alliés et influence
des personnes-clés» (page BI 5). Le
compte-rendu officiel nie que des officiers iraniens aient été achetés (page
E22) ; il est toutefois difficile d'imaginer à quoi d'autre Fazlollah Zahedi
aurait dépensé cet argent. La CIA n' en
comprend pas moins rapidement que ce
dernier « manque de détermination,
d'énergie et de stratégie concrète» et
qu'il n'est pas capable de monter un
réseau militaire apte à mener un coup
d'Etat. Cette tâche est donc confiée à
un colonel, iranien travaillant pour la
CIA.
Fin mai 1953, la section de la CIA
est autorisée à engager environ
II 000 dollars par semaine pour aëheter la coopération de parlementaires, ce
qui accentue fortement l'opposition
politique à Mossadegh. Ce dernier
réagit en appelant les élus qui lui sont
fidèles à démissionner pour empêcher
la formation du quorum, ce qui entraÎnerait la dissolution du Parlement. Pour
le contrer, la CIA essaie alors de persuader certains élus de renoncer à leur
démission. Début août, Mossadegh
organise un référendum truqué au cours
duquel les Iraniens se prononcent massivement pour la dissolution et la tenue
de nouvelles élections. Cela empêche
désormais la CIA d'exercer ses activités «quasi légales» même si elle
continue à utiliser la propagande pour
imputer à Mossadegh la falsification du
référendum.
Le 25 juillet, la CIA entame une
longue démarche de «pression » et de
« manipulation» pour persuader le
chah de soutenir le coup d'Etat et d'accepter la nomination de Fazlollah
Autour d'une crise
•
II m.11949. Après sa victoire sur les armées arabes, l'Etat d'Israël devient membre de
l'ONU.
21 juillet 1951. Le roi Abdallah de Jordanie est assassiné par un Palestinien.
28 avri11951. Tensions maximales entre l'Etat et l'Anglo-lranian Oil Company: Mohammad Mossadegh devient premier ministre d'Iran et nationalise le pétrole.
23 Juillet 1952. Les « Officiers libres» de Gamal Abdel Nasser prennent le pouvoir en
Egypte.
19.o0t 1953. Le gouvernement Mossadegh est renversé. Le chah, secondé par le général
Zahedi, instaure son pouvoir dictatorial.
Octobre-novembre
1956, Israël, la France et la Grande-Bretagne attaquent l'Egypte après
la nationalisation du canal de Suez. Israël occupe temporairement le Sinaï.
4 juin 1963. Des émeutes paysannes signent l'échec de la « révolution blanche» (la
réforme agraire iranienne). Ruhollah Khomeyni est emprisonné, relâché, puis expulsé.
J.nvie ....m.n 1979. Le régime du chah ùffondre,
l'ayatollah Khomeyni rentre à Téhéran
et fonde la République islamique.
Zâhedi au poste de premier ministre.
Au cours des trois semaines suivantes,
quatre émissaires rencontrent le chah
presque chaque jour afin de le
convaincre de coopérer. Le 12 ou
13 août, malgré ses réticences, il finit
par accepter et signe les décrets royaux
(firmans) révoquant Mossadegh et
nommant Zahedi à sa place. La reine
Soraya l'aurait persuadé d'agir ainsi
(page 38).
Le 13 août, la CIA charge le colonel
Nematollah Nassiri de remettre les firmans à Zahedi et à Mossadegh. Mais la
longueur des négociations avec le chah
a fragilisé le secret, et l'un des officiers
impliqués révèle l'existence du complot. Mossadegh fait alors arrêter Nassiri, dans la nuit du 15 au 16 août, au
moment où celui-ci s'apprête à remettre
le premier décret, et plusieurs autres
conjurés sont interpellés peu après.
Prête à cette éventualité, la CIA avait
préparé des unités militaires pro-Zahedi
à s'emparer des points névralgiques de
Téhéran. Mais les officiers disparaissent lorsque Nassiri est arrêté, faisant
échouer cette première tentative.
Zahedi ainsi que d'autres personnes
impliquées se réfugient alors dans des
cachettes de la CIA. Le chah fuit en
exil, d'abord à Bagdad, puis à Rome, et
Kermit Roosevelt, directeur de la section locale de la CIA, annonce à
Washington que le coup d'Etat a
échoué. Peu après, il reçoit l'ordre
d'abandonner l'opération et de revenir
aux Etats-Unis.
Mais Kermit Roosevelt et son équipe
décident d'improviser une autre tentative. Ils commencent par distribuer des
copies des décrets du chah aux médias
afin de mobiliser l'opinion publique
contre Mossadegh. Au cours des jours
suivants, leurs deux principaux agents
iraniens mènent une série d'opérations
« noires » visant le même objectif. Afin
de dresser les Iraniens croyants contre
Mossadegh, ils profèrent des menaces
téléphoniques contre des chefs religieux et « simulent un attentat » contre
la maison d'un ecclésiastique (page 37)
en se faisant passer pour des membres
du puissant parti communiste Toudeh.
Le 18, ils organisent également des
manifestations dont les participants
prétendent appartenir au Toudeh. A
l'instigation de ces deux agents, les
manifestants saccagent les bureaux
d'un parti politique, renversent des statues du chah et de son père, et sèment
le chaos dans Téhéran. Réalisant ce qui
est en train de se passer, le Toudeh
recommande à ses membres de rester
chez eux (p. 59, 63 et 64), ce qui l'empêche de s'opposer aux manifestants
anti-Mossadegh qui envahissent les
rues le lendemain.
Le matin du 19 août, ces derniers
commencent à se rassembler à proximité du bazar de Téhéran. Le
compte-rendu de la CIA décrit ces
manifestations comme ((partiellement
spontanées», mais ~joute Que (( les
75
Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn' Özeti
circonstances favorables Créées par
l'action politique [de la CIA] contrihuèrent également à [les] déclencher»
(p~g~Xm.
En effet,_la diV\!!gation~.
-des décrets du chah, les «fausses»
manifestations du Toudeh et les autres
opérations « noires » menées au cours
des jours précédents poussèrent .de
nombreux Iraniens à rejoindre ces
manifestations.
Plusieurs
membres
iraniens de
l'équipe de la CIA mènent alors les
manifestants dans le centre de Téhéran
et persuadent des unités de l'armée de
, les épauler, incitant au passage la foule
à attaquer le quartier général du Parti
iranien favorable à Mossadegh et' à
incendier une salle de cinéma et plusieurs rédactions de presse (p. 65, 67
et 70). Des unités militaires anti-Mos.sadegh commencent dès lors à prendre
possession de Téhéran, s'emparant de
stations radio et d'autres points sensibles, De vifs combats se déroulent,
mais les forces favorables au premier
ministre sont finalement vaincues.
Mossadegh lui-même se cache, mais se
rend le lendemain.
'Le compte-rendu de la CIA laisse
deux questions essentienës en sus-pens.
Tout d'abord, il n'éclaircit pas l'origine
de la trahison qui fit échouer la première
~entative de c()up d'Etat,-~e. çontentant
d'attribuer celle-ci à « l'indiscrétion
d'un fjes officiers de l'armée iranienne
impliqué» (page 39). Ensuite, ce texte
n'explique pas comment l'action politique de la CIA favorisa l'organisation
' des manifestations du 19 août, ni quelle
fut l'importance de cette action dans le
déclenchement de ces manifestations.
D'autres comptes-rendus, établis d'après
des entretiens avec des participants de
premier plan, suggèrent que l'équipe de
la CIA aurait donné de l'argent à des
chefs religieux, qui ne connaissaient
probablement pas l'origine de ces fonds.
Le ,apport de la CIA ne confirme pas
cette version. La quasi-totalité des personnes impliquées étant aujourd'hui
,décédées et la CIA affirmant avoir
détruit la plupart des archives concernant cette opération" ces questions resteront peut-être sans réponse.
Il est également. difficile çle savoir
qui est à l'origine de la fuite qui a permis la di\:ulgation de ce rapport officiel
et quelle est la véritable finalité de cette
fuite. Dans l'article publié le 16 avril
2000, le New York Times explique seulement que le document a été fourni par
un ,« ancien officier qui en conservait
1!n exemplpire ». Coinei.d.ence,un mois
plus tôt, la secrétaire d'Etat Madeleine'
Albright, au cours d'un important discours destiné à promouvoir le rapprochement entre les Etats-Unis et l'Iran,
avait reconnu pour la première fois que
le gOl,lvernement amériçain étàit impliqué dans le coup d'Etat et s'en est
excusée (3). Beaucoup estiment que la
fuite fut délibérément organisée par le
gouvernement ou par une personne
décidée. à soutenir l'initiative de
Mm,Albright. Si tel est le cas, toutefois,
il est difficile de croire que l'intégralité
du rapport aurait été révélée, mais on
ne peut exclure cette possibilité.
..,
(I) www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/
iran-cia-inlrO.pdf. Le document est daté de 1954 et
signé Donald N, Wilber.
'
(2) http://cryptome.orglcia-iran.htm,
La technique utilisée par le New York' Times était inopé~nte : il suffisait d'utiliser un ordinateur lent pour
lire les noms avant que le cache noir s'affiche.
(3) Le Monde. 20 mars 2000.
No objections to'lraqcommercial flights, says U.S.
October 31,2000 Reuters
Washington (Reuters) - The United States joined Britain yesterday and said it saw no problem with Iraqi
'plans resuming domestic commercial airline flights through Western-imposed no-fly ,zones in the north
and south of the country. But Washington stressed that it would continue to closely monitor air traffic
, in the zones to make sure that Baghdad's military did not fly in the areas and threaten Iraqis on the
ground or neighboring countries.
'
"We don't see civilian flights as posing a threat" ta the no-fly zones, said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dave
Lapan; a U.S: Defense Department spokesman. "The no-fly zones pertain to military flights ~nd protecting civilian populations inside Iraq from attack," Lapan told Reuters hi response to questions.
Iraq's Transport Minister Ahmed Murtada Ahmed Khalil was quoted Monday as saying Iraqi Airways
flights would resume on November 5 between Baghdad anc~ the cities of Basra, 600 kilometres to the
south, and Mosul, 450. kilometres to the north:
'
A State Department official, who asked not to be identified, also told Reuters on Monday that the United
States would monitor Iraq flights closely to make sure that they did not threaten Iraqi citizens on the
ground, the country's neighbors or U.S. and British warplanes policing the zones.
, ,"For reasons of ,flight safety and enforcing the zones, w~ would require notifi.cation of flight schedules
and route$ Iioless than 48 hours in advance of each flight," the official said. A British Foreign Office'
'.spokesman said earlier in London that his country was also "not at all exercised" about an announcement from Iraq that the fliglJts llliouid resume next Sunday.
Iraq had resumed domestic flights in 1992, a year atter they were disrupted' by the Gulf War, but suspended them again because of the no-fly zones. Baghdad said then its aircratt needed maintenance.
The United States and Britain say the exclusion zones are maintained to protect a Kùrdish enclave in
the'north and Shi'ites in the south from possible attacks by Iraqi troos.
Commerèial flights in and out of Iraq have been curbed by UN sanctions imposed on Iraq for its 19'90
invasion of Kuwait. But dozens of humanitarian flights from Arab and non-Arab countries have landed
in Baghdad.in the last two years to protest against the decade-long embargo.'
76
i.'
Turkey continues harassment, arrests,
and torture of medical doctors
..
Outstanding Turkish medical professor prohibited
from commenting on torture for five years
Henrik Decker
..
Intense attention was paid by the international community to
this year's trials of three Turkish medical doctors, all engaged
in the rehabilitation work of torture victims, who were accused of various crimes such as making statements that are
friendly towards the Kurds or that criticize policemen.
In June 2000, Professor U11iLök, perhaps the most dedicated and respected Turkish physician involved in the long
battle against torture and in the professional medical assistance to the victims, was sentenced by a court in Izmir to
refrain for five years from publicly giving his opinion on torture. The reason was that he had commented on the treatment of Dr Zeki Uzun before the trial of the latter was concluded, thereby violating art. 30/3 in the Turkish Press Law.
The gynaecologist Dr Uzun was for his part charged with
aiding PKK terrorists (supporting the Kurds), but in May he
was acquitted by the Izmir Court. In a statement to the court
he described the harassment and torture the authorities
exposed him to while he awaited trial. The third accused,
Dr Alp Ayan, was brought to court for trying to attend a
funeral and charged with resisting the police officers who
tried to disband the procession.
Among the audience in the State Security Court in Izmir
were Dr Inge Genefke, Honorary Secretary-General of IRCT,
Mr Jergen Fumier, President of the Danish Medical Association, and Mr Delon Human, Secretary of the International
Medical Association. Dr Genefke; who has personally attended eight trials against doctors in Turkey within the last
three years, condemned "the harassment, persecution, and
torture against the foremost peaceful warriors against torture
as well as the most renowned Samaritans dealing with torture survivors."
"To go after Professor Lök is outrageous" Dr Genefke
observed. "This highly respected orthopaedic surgeon and
Head of the Human Rights
Foundation ofTurkey (HRFT)
has been in the forefront of
the battle against torture for
about 25 years.These charges
are expressive of a political
will in Turkey to destroy the
work which is bemg done at
the five centres for torture
victims." (in Ankara, Istanbul, Adana, Izmir and Diyarbakir - ed. note).
It is the general impression of several foreign visitors to the trials of Turkish
Professor Dr Veli Uk, Human
doctors that there has been no
Rights Foundation afTurkey,
Izmir Branch.
improvement in the human
rights situation, despite various pledges from parts of the
Turkish authorities. Also a larger group of members of the
United States Congress, the so-called Congressional Human
Rights Caucus, expressed serious concerns about the trial.
A statement addressed to the Prime Minister ofTurkey, Mr
Bülent Ecevit, referred to "these outstanding doctors and
human rights defenders [...] on trial for treating persons who
havebeen subjected to the vilest form of human rights
abuse" and added: "The Turkish government has a legal
obligation to prevent torture and, according to the European
Convention for the Prevention of Torture, to provide compensation and rehabilitation to torture victims."
Turkey's general strategy, however, is for the time being
characterized by what might be called a stop-go policy. It
must be recalled that as of 1 March, 2000 the hitherto existing prohibition of using Kurdish names has been repealed by
the Turkish Supreme Court. The President of the Court, Mr
Ismet Asian has stressed that a Kurdish citizen will from now
on be allowed to call his/her child by whatever name he/she
chooses. To maintain the prohibition would - in the words of
the Court's President - reinforce the discrimination. "This
decision is binding on all kind of courts" Mr AsIan added.
"This is a step towards respect of human rights."
The history of the Turkish torture rehabilitation centres is
characterized by the paradoxical attitude which the Turkish
government persistently has demonstrated: While politicians
and other officials strongly condemn the practise of torture,
policemen all over the country keep torturing detained people,
mostly Kurds. About five years after the opening of the first
centre in Ankara, the doctors have come under pressure.
Turkish authorities have tried to force physicians at several of
these centres to hand over lists of patient names in flagrant
contradiction of the Hippocratic Oach. Owing to international
pressure, this has not been successful.
Hosts of prominent doctors, politicians, and lawyers from
foreign countries have attended the many trials, being convinced that it is important to be present and that the Turkish
government continuously practises hypocrisy when it promises the Council of Europe, the European Union, other international organisations, and individual governments that it is
amending its laws and changing its practises.
However, the sad effect of the trials is that many Turkish
torture victims now are afraid of going to the doctor to get
the necessary help. At police stations they are told that they
are not permitted to visit the centres.
D
TORTURE
Quarterly Journal
on Rehabilitation
of Torture Victims
and Prevention of Torture
Volume 10, Number 2
October 2000
n
Torturing Turkey acknowledges
-\vide spr-e ad, vio l-a-t-iofts- of-fi-uman -righ-ts.
in case raised by Denmark
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
established friendly settlement between Denmark and Turkey,
but torture of Turkish doctors continues
Henrik Decker
In a friendly settlement in the form of a judgement deI1vered
at Strasbourg on 5 April 2000, Turkey acknowledged the allegations oftorture on a formerTurkish, now Danish, citizen
and accepted to pay DKK 450,000, i.e. USD 58,000. Consèquently, the European Court of Human Rights decided
unanimously to strike the application from its list. The Court
did not mention the name of the applicant, but 43-year-old
Kemal Koc, born as a Turkish citizen, but living in Denmark
now, is well known to Danes as well as Turks.
Koc is the first European citizen who was lucky enough to
have his new country of residence take ov~r the case of an
individual. Thus Denmark transformed his inc:j.ividualapplication against his former homeland 'to a state-to-state application, including allegations of torture in Turkey in general.
Koc paid a visit to his old country in 1996, since he wanted
to be present at his brother's funeral. He was detained for six
weeks, beaten, and exposed to psychological torture. He was
only released, and allowed to leavefor Denmark after strong
, diplomatic pressure by the Danish Government.
The Danish and Turkish governments agree that the use of
inappropriate police interrogation techniques as practised in
this case constitutes a violation of Article 3 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture. This
will be prevented in the fQture, it said in a mutual declaration. The two governments recognize that this aim can best
be attained through better training of policemen. The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe initiated a comprehensive
programme for improving the education of policemen in
1997. Denmark is already contributing to this programme.
The two governments have now decided to establish a continuous bilateral Danish-Turkish political dialogue.
Declaration by the government ofTurkey
In a declaration, the Turkish Government regrets the occurrence of occasional and individual cases of torture and illtreatme.nt despite "the resolute action of the government and
existing legislation as well as administrative regulationsh•
New legaland administrative 'control and punishment regulations have been adopted as a consequence of which such
individua.1acts according to the Ankara Government substantially decreased. However, torture still, takes place!
The Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has found Turkey
guilty of violation of the prohibitionagainst torture in the
European Convention on Human Rights several times.
It should be recalled that the policemen who ill-treated
Kemal Kocin Ankara in 1996 were acquitted by the Turkish
.
.
High Court, but this judgement has been appealed to the
Supreme Court. Mr Koc furth~rmore wants to have repealed
the sentence passed on him in 1997 in absentia: four years'
imprisonment for supporting the PKK, the Kurdish Workers
Party, which is also a guerrilla movement.
Within the last year, Articles 243,' 245, and 354 of the
Turkish Penal Code were amended to redefine and prevent
torture and ill-treatment in accordance with international
conventions, and the penalties for such criminal acts were increased. The amendment of Article 354 stipulates the prosecution of doctors and o1her medical personnel charged with
drafting false reports regarding cases of torture or ill-treatment. Simultaneously, Turkish police threaten and - under
various pretexts - charge medical doctors at rehabilitation
centres for torture victims, as well as arrest and torture them.
"The Regulation on Apprehension, Custody, and Interrogation", which came into force on 1 October 1998, brought
procedures in line with the standards of the Convention for
the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment and the European Convention for
the Prevention of Torture (CPT). A circular from the Prime
Minister's Department concerning increased respect for
human rights, issuedon 25 June 1999, introduced measures
to ensure the effective implementation of the above-mentioned regulation by all relevant public authorities as well
as enhanced control of iIIiplementation. All this is fine in
theory.
New legislation - will it change practices?
The circular stipulates that governors, district governors,
public prosecutors, public inspectors, other officials entitled
, to inspection, gendarmerie commanders, and police directors are authorized to implement random checks and inspections. The circular also stipulates that necessary measures
will be rapidly taken' to remedy deficiencies found during
these inspections; and necessary procedures will be initiated
for officials at fault. In addition; the Ministries of Justice and
the Ihterior will submit once every three months, starting
from 1 January 2000, written information on the results of
reports prepared with regard to these checks and inspections
for the Human Rights Co-ordinating High Committee of the
Prime Minister's Department.
,
Finally, the Law on the Prosecution of Civil Servants and
Other Officials, which was approved by Parliament on 2 December 1999 and has entered into force, facilitates the initiation of investigations and prosecution of public officials.
TORTURE Volume 10, Number 22000
78
Brief summary of the allegations against three Turkish doctors:
•
DrAlpAyan
Dr Alp Ayan from the HRFT Izmir Treatment and Rehabilitation Center u well a executiva and members of various
unions, professional chambers, associations, and political parties
were detained after they went to He1vaci vi11ageto attend the
funeral of a young man who died after a massacre at Anbra
U1ucan1ar Prison some days earlier. However, the gendarmerie
who set barricades at the vilIage entrance prevented the group
from attending the funeral. The gendarmerie then attacked the
group and detained 68 persons under beating. The detainees
were kept in detention for three days and then referred, to
Aliaga Penal Court of Fust Iqstance. Fourteen of them were
remarided and the rest were released to be prosecuted without
arrest.
Aliaga Penal Court of First Instance gave the decision of
remand on the allegations of a breach of the Law on Meetings
and Demonstrations no. 2911. The Court sent the file to Izmir
State Security Court (SSC) in Izmir on the grounds that it is
also within the content of Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law.
This court gave a decision of non-authorization on the
grounds that the elements of the Anti-1èrror Law were not fulfilled, and sent the file to the Court of Cassation to decide on
the responsibility.
The Court of Cassation decided that the case was not related
to the Terror Crimes, and assigned Aliaga Penal Court of First
Instance for the prosecution. Meanwhile, this Court refused the
lawyers' demand of release of the defendants. The sentence that
the defendants face in the trial is imprisonment terms between
one and a half and three yean. A secretary at the HRFT office
in Izmir, Ms Günseli Kaya, was detained together with Dr Ayan
for more than three months.
In this context, the request for permission to initiate an investigation by public prosecutors of civil servants for crimes
alleged to have been committed in connection to their duties
has to be concluded within four and a half months, including
the period for appeal.
Turkish torture victims go directly to Strasbourg
,
.
•
The new law clarified many issues concerning the trial of
public officials, determined
the bodies that were authorized
to allow an investigation, and stipulated the authorities that
were entitled to carry out preliminary examinations and preparatory investigations. It should be recalled that the Court
of Human Rights in Strasbourg (and previously the Human
Rights Commission until its abolition in October 1999) accepted several applications
regarding torture from Turkish
citizens, even though they had not exhausted all national remedies, as required in the European Convention
on Human
Rights.
It became necessary to make this exception, since complaints to Turkish authorities (the Public Prosecutor's Office)
in almost all cases did not result in any action from the
Prosecutor. No torture complaint has ever been satisfactorily investigated. Thus, there was no reason to wait for this
mockery of justice. It remains to be seen whether the many
Profeaor Dr ven LeU
Professor Dr Vell l..ök made several press statements to convey
his opinions and inform the public about the ill-treatment,
detention, and subsequent remand of human rights defenders,
including his colleagues Günseli Kaya and Dr Alp Ayan, who
with a group of 100-120 people in September 1999 went to
Helvac village to attend the funeral of a young man who died
during a massacre at Ankara U1ucan1ar Prison. One of his statements was published in the daily Cumhuriyet as a news story
entided "They are made to pay for their fight against torture"
on 31 October 1999.
Upon the order of the Ministry of Justice, Izmir Public Prosecution OfIice made an investiPtion and subsequendy launched a trial at Izmir Penal Court of First Instance No.2 against
Professor Lök and Fikler Ikiz, editor-in-chief of the daily Cumhuriyet, in connection with this statement on the allegations of
a violation of Article 30/3 of the Press Law. In the trial, Pr0fessor L6k faces an imprisonment sentence between one and six
months, and a fine.
Dr. ZeId Uzua
Dr Zeki Uzun was detained by police officers from Izmir
Security Directorate Anti-Terror Branch in his office on 19 December 1999, on the allegations of "aiding an illegal organization and shdtering its members," because of providing medical
treatment to tWO patients, who are alleged members of an illega) organization. Dr Uzun was kept in detention for seven days
during which he was subjected to physical and psychological
torture, u specified in a medical report issued by Izmir Medical
Chamber's Medical Examination and Reports Commission
after the necessary medical examination and telits were carried
out. He was referred to Izmir State Security Court (SSC) and
released to be prosecuted without arrest, as one of the 15
defendUlts in the trial, under Article 169 of the Turkish Penal
Code.
law amendments
and the many judgements
in Strasbourg,
where Turkey has been found guilty in violation of the European Convention,
will have any influence on future cases.
Despite
the political development,
the strong desire of
Turkey to join other European countries as a member of the
EU, no Turkish politician has indicated that this in any way
will pave the way for the abolition of torture. Until now, any
thus inspired optimism has been disappointed.
Editorial note
Latest news
The sixth hearing in the Alp and Kaya trial took place on 19
September 2000. Although witnesses were heard this time, the case
could not be finished and was postponed for two months. From a
legal point of view this trial is meaningless. The real problems are the
existence of torture and the ways in which doctors, especially Izmir
doctors, are able to investigate it, describe it, and document it. The
hearing raised international awareness of these problems. The following organizations attended the hearing: The IRCT (Denmark),
CVT (USA), The Berlin Medical Association (Germany), and the
Primo Levi Association (France).
TORTURE Volume 10, Number 2 2000
79

Bulletin de liaison et d`information

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